With the fall season upon us, it can make some of us really sad to think that summer is officially over. However, autumn gives us the chance to appreciate the environment and activities it can bring. What do you love about fall?

Fall

Photo by Brittany Gammon

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The leaves have finally changed colors and are falling from the trees.

The days grow shorter and the temperature continues to drop. Fall is officially here.

While I am sad to say goodbye to summer I am truly happy to say hello to my favorite season of the year.

Fall gives us many things look forward to.

1. TV Series are Back

The fall season begins the premieres of many television shows that you love as well as many newcomers.

People can now look forward to keeping up with their favorite shows every week.

The premieres that I am most excited about include “The Big Bang Theory” and “The Walking Dead.”

My favorite new show of the fall season is “Scream Queens.”

The show takes a comical approach to a series of murders that take place in a sorority house.

2. Food

From candy corn to pumpkin pie, autumn has a lot to offer when it comes to food.

With all of the food activities that you can do in the fall, it can be difficult to get bored.

Try going apple picking or visiting the pumpkin patch. Carving pumpkins can be a great way to get into the fall spirit.

Every year I look forward to carving pumpkins with friends and family and baking the pumpkin seeds afterward.

I remember spending about four hours last year carving several pumpkins to resemble the characters in, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Even though it took a long time, I was completely happy with the results and how many decorations I had for Halloween.

Other seasonal foods come back to stores during the Halloween season include caramel apples and Count Chocula cereal.

I am really not much for cereal but I have always made an exception for the monster-themed cereals that come out for Halloween.  

I always tend to stock up on these cereals before they disappear again until next year.

3. Scary Movies

As a person who is obsessed with watching scary movies, this time of the year makes my love for scary movies more acceptable.

Getting a movie night together with a few friends is one of my favorite things to do in the month of October.

I remember the very first horror movie that I watched was, “Scream.”

I had snuck into my older sister’s room to watch it when she was away at a friend’s house.

For whatever reason I thought that watching somebody get stabbed was a good idea.

I felt extremely rebellious and at the age of 10, the movie kind of freaked me out.

Scary movies have such a different style of film and even though I was absolutely terrified, I loved the anticipation and rush of the genre.

Some of my favorite horror films would have to be, “The Ring,” “The Conjuring,” “The Shining” and “Insidious.”

I am a complete sucker for a ghost story. I tend to find movies that focus on paranormal activity way more scary than slasher films.

So get some friends together and enjoy a few scary movies that will get you into the Halloween spirit.

4. Halloween

Halloween is just about the most flexible holiday.

Whether you’re going to a party, a bonfire, spending time with friends, or trick-or-treating, you have the option to do just about whatever you want.

Most plans are spur of the moment and visiting haunted houses is something I try to do with friends every year.

The first haunted house I ever visited was Creepy World in Fenton five years ago.

This year I was able to attend Hollywood Horror Night at Universal Studios.

The mazes and rides were extremely fun and cool to see, however I think that St. Louis does a better job of scaring people.  

My favorite haunted house in St. Louis would have to be The Darkness. The Darkness is now open on the weekends along with many other haunted houses in the area.

If haunted houses are not your thing, post-Halloween candy discounts will cheer up just about anyone.

So get ready for short days, long nights, crunchy leaves and long sleeves and look forward to all the fun that autumn has to offer.

By Sierra Thompson

Sierra Thompson is an editor for MBU Timeline. She is majoring in communication studies and minoring in business administration. Thompson is a member of the softball team at MBU. In her free time she loves to travel, watch movies and spend time with her family and friends.