Why We Love Fall

why-we-love-fall

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.  If you had to pick one, which season is your favorite? 

Mine is definitely fall.  

Yours?  Oh, come on.  I feel like I can’t be alone in the Fall Fan Club. 

Whether you chose Fall as your favorite season or not, here are four reasons Why We Love Fall.

1. It Delights Our Senses

Our sight takes in the brilliance of leaves turning beautiful colors, gorgeous Oklahoma sunsets, and our littles in the most adorable Halloween costumes.  Seasonal smells like cinnamon, pumpkin spice, apple cider, and banana bread draw us into coffee shops and bakeries and invite creativity and comfort into our own kitchens and homes.  The sounds of leaves crunching under our feet, a high school marching band playing their fight song, or the quiet crackling of a bonfire all provide a sense of contentment that goes deep.  We get excited to wear things that are soft to the touch, like flannels, extra soft sweaters, silk scarves, fleece hoodies and our favorite jeans.  Experiencing the taste of  s’mores, a pumpkin spice latte, caramel popcorn, apple pie, or hot chocolate is something we’ve been anticipating all year, and it does not disappoint.  Fall absolutely delights our senses in every way.

2. Fall Activities Promote Community

There’s nothing like hometown pride when we attend a high school or college football game and are cheering for the same team as half the stadium, where we observe people of all ages clothed in our team’s colors.  We feel such a sense of camaraderie and like we’ve found a place to belong.  These are our people.  This same sense of community is apparent at homecoming parades and other school activities.  And let’s talk about trick or treating and fall festivals.  What other day do we get to see so many of our neighbors and friends?  Whether they come to our home to trick or treat, we come to theirs, or we pass them on the street while collecting treats or run into them while playing carnival-type games at a fall festival, community is happening.  This is not only a family experience, it is a shared experience with your neighbors and friends. 

3. It starts the Family/Holiday season

First comes Fall, then comes Halloween and Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas and New Year’s.  That’s a lot of fun, food, friends and family packed together!  While the holidays can be hectic, they can also make our hearts full.  Fall starts that magical season where we find ourselves catching treasured moments, contented sighs, generations experiencing things beside each other, and amazement in our children’s eyes.  We reunite with far-away family members and friends who come into town.  We experience church by candlelight with our loved ones, sledding with our nieces and nephews, and take time to be grateful for the life we have and the people beside us. 

4. Fall teaches us that it’s OK to let things go

When trees let go of their leaves in the Fall, they are letting go of what is dying.  The trees are preparing for winter and what’s on the other side of it, new growth in the Spring.  Fall teaches us that it’s OK to let things go.  In order for us to grow personally, we may need to release something.  If we find ourselves hanging onto something that’s dead or dying, perhaps it is time to let it go and prepare for the new, stronger buds in our lives to open.  Let’s take a cue from Fall and let things go.  Let go of chaos.  Let go of resentment.  Let go of fear.  Letting go causes growth.

fall

If you need something to do while you’re contemplating that last point, I highly recommend baking these banana chocolate chip bars or your favorite fall treat. 

It just may push you over into the Fall Fan Club. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
Serves 36
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
45 min
118 calories
17 g
15 g
5 g
1 g
3 g
30 g
37 g
11 g
0 g
2 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
30g
Servings
36
Amount Per Serving
Calories 118
Calories from Fat 48
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5g
8%
Saturated Fat 3g
17%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 15mg
5%
Sodium 37mg
2%
Total Carbohydrates 17g
6%
Dietary Fiber 1g
2%
Sugars 11g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A
3%
Vitamin C
1%
Calcium
2%
Iron
2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients
  1. 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
  2. 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  3. 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  4. 2 teaspoons baking powder
  5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  6. 1 egg
  7. 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)
  8. 1 teaspoon vanilla
  9. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  10. 1 6 ounce package (1 cup) semisweet chocolate pieces
Instructions
  1. Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter or margarine with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in the remaining flour. Stir in the chocolate pieces.
  2. Spread in the prepared baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes or until golden. Cool before cutting into bars.
beta
calories
118
fat
5g
protein
1g
carbs
17g
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Melissa Brown
I have been a proud Okie for over 35 years and love being the wife of my hunky husband, David, and a mom to our three daughters, two in their 20’s and one in elementary school! I spend my weekdays in the Greater Oklahoma community as a non-profit executive and my evenings as a soccer mom, grocery shopper, overall family supporter/organizer, adventurer, book enthusiast, friend, and occasional Netflix binger. My first two loves are Jesus and family, with coffee and caramel also making the list, right after friends and travel, and being a part of OKCMB.

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