Happy October to all! My favorite month of the fall is here. To steal a cliché from the Christmas season, when it comes to October, there is just “something special in the air.” The weather is crisp, the colors are beautiful, and the smells are rich. In my Sunday blog post, I want to pass along five reasons why I am excited for this month.

Halloween – I LOVE Halloween. Haunted Houses, ghost walks, candy, and costumes are just a few of the things I enjoy. Halloween is, for the most part, an exclusively October holiday. Although some exceptions are out there, once October 1 hits it is Halloween season and it runs all the way until the last day of the month when the holiday itself occurs. October is synonymous with Halloween and there is nothing I like more than taking an entire month to celebrate the spooky and strange!

I am a big fan of costumes! In this photo from Halloween 2015, I dressed up as an evil clown and Sidney was Wednesday from the Addams Family.

College Football – October is the premiere month for college football. By this time, the major questions about which teams are for real have been answered but the race for conference championships and playoff spots start to heat up. In fact, the first FBS Playoff poll will be released this month. Whereas in November the list of teams with national title hopes is small, in October many squads still aspire for glory. It is fun to watch many of these teams enter the month with title hopes only to see the number of true contenders shrink dramatically come Halloween.

Kenny and I on the sidelines in Clemson’s Memorial Stadium in October of 2014.

Scary Movie Marathons – Usually starting a week or two out from Halloween, a couple stations start airing horror movie marathons. Nothing prepares me more for October 31 than watching the 10 different “Friday the 13th” films or the classic Michael Myers movies. To me, it is just tradition. I like relaxing in bed after Sidney has fallen asleep to watch an hour or two of slasher mania. You see, there is no need to watch an entire marathon. Because of the simplicity of the plots of these movies, you can tune in randomly and feel like you aren’t out of the loop. I can’t wait for the films to begin!

Fall Festivals – Okay, I am not a pumpkin flavor fanatic nor a big fan when it comes to carving pumpkins. However, I am a sucker for a pumpkin patch! Nothing says “October” more than visiting a farm that specializes in fall fun. Hay rides, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and warm cider are all things I really enjoy. I think it just goes back to the weather, colors, and smells I mentioned at the start of this post. You can get an abundance of October sensory overload just by visiting your local community farm in the middle of the month.

Sidney and I with our niece and nephew at Thompson Farm in South Carolina in 2016.

Birthday – Well, call me biased. I was born in the month of October many, many years ago so the month holds a special place in my heart. How can you not love a month where you get to celebrate Halloween AND your birthday?

October receives extra points because I was born during it.

————-

I hope everyone has a great October! Enjoy each day of this fun month and start stocking up now on candy. Don’t Blink.