Walking down the path between Vanders’, the familiar hint of red looking up to the sky and the slight crunch underneath our feet is a highly missed feeling. The cold morning weather welcomes cozy clothes and a warm pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. Although these indications of the changing seasons are unnoticeable to some, they are reminders of the good things to come from the upcoming fall season.
My excitement for all things spooky doesn’t revolve around the superficial stereotypes of girls dressing in cute outfits and going to pumpkin patches with their boyfriends. Instead, fall is a season of nostalgia with all of the happy memories that I have from my childhood during this time of year. From watching the Disney Channel theme change to Halloween to making plans for all of the necessary activities, all I can remember is the excitement and comfort I felt going into the holiday season. We had finally made it past the stress of the earlier months of the year, and now it was time to enjoy time with family and friends while going on adventures to haunted houses, and most importantly, Target decoration trips.
After dealing with COVID-19 last year, I am excited to be able to return to a somewhat normal holiday season, especially in Forest Grove. Despite the lack of exposure I had to normal events last year, I found enjoyment in the smallest things both on and off-campus. Some of my particular favorites included driving to the coast to admire the fall colors in full bloom, or going to locally sponsored events, like pumpkin patches and drive-thru haunted houses. Binging The Haunting of Hill House and watching Hocus Pocus was a great way to bond with my “scaredy-cat” friends, and I especially enjoyed making the entire dorm smell like slaughtered pumpkins because of our desire to carve Among Us figures.
While the list of random things to do goes on and on, the most important part of this time of year is the time spent making memories with loved ones. As cheesy as it sounds, an escape from the overwhelming stress of school, work, sports, and relationships. can bring just the right amount of joy into the day-to-day routine. My best “spooky season” advice is to binge that show instead of doing homework, carve that pumpkin with your friends (even though it may not be technically allowed), and go to that haunted house even though you hate being scared, because those crazy, stupid memories are what make college fun. — Chandler Fleming
Major: Multimedia
Hometown: Parker, Colorado
Hobbies: Lacrosse, volleyball, cleaning, organizing, working for Dutch Bros
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