Oh Baby, it smells like Christmas!

Fall weather puts me in a good mood. I don't mean just any good mood. I mean a seriously giddy, unnaturally delighted, constantly smiling, really good mood. I'm beginning to understand that this makes me weird.

Yesterday I went running with a new acquaintance who remarked that it was so nice to see someone who is actually optimistic about the change in the weather. Most people she knows are complaining about the coming cold, dark days. I happen to really like running in cold weather (and conversely, I hate/loathe/dread/despise running in hot weather). Yet, her comments got me thinking that my love for Fall must be more than a physiological and practical preference for not sweating. It has to be deeper than that.

Psychologists will tell you that smells can trigger strong memories and sensations. For example, my grandmother once sent me a beautiful bedspread that she didn't want anymore because it didn't fit her bed. When I opened the box, I experienced a wave of Grammy memories that must have been triggered by the smell of that bedspread. I couldn't identify each individual component of the aroma, but I recognized that sweet combination of her lotion, perfume, and laundry detergent. The smell reminded me of how much I love her, which seems crazy because after all, it's what you do, not your smell that defines you (I hope my readership will recognize that Batman Begins reference).

Now, in the seven years since I moved away from Florida to go to college in the cold Northeast, I have realized that my unusually-intense love for Fall has to do with my love of Christmas. If you've never lived in Florida, this won't be obvious at first. In Florida, you spend most of the year dreaming about Christmas. Yes, Christmas means secret shopping trips, gift wrapping contests, decorations and music, and delicious feasts, but more importantly, Christmas means the change in the weather. (Yes, yes, I know Christmas is when we celebrate Christ's birth, not the low humidity, but that would be a less entertaining essay, so just go with my train of thought...)

Okay, back to the weather. Florida weather comes in three variations: endless infernal sauna, not quite unbearable, and absolutely gorgeous. The infernal sauna lasts from around May to September. March, April, and October are usually hot, but not quite unbearable. The only reason people survive living in Florida are the months of November through February. During these fleeting weeks, Floridans can boast patches of the best weather anywhere. With a few notable exceptions, December usually means sunny, not humid, and 70 degrees. Nights are cold enough for sweaters. Blankets are comfortable to sleep under.

When you're a Floridian, the turn of the weather is glorious. You look for signs that it's coming. You get excited when Orion appears in the night sky because you know that the change is coming. When you finally get to spend a day with all the doors and windows open, you experience an overwhelming feeling of happiness that has no other explanation than that beautiful smell.

I suppose my reaction to Fall weather is rather Pavlovian. Arctic air is ringing a bell and I'm salivating right on queue, but I don't care. Now that I live in a place that actually has four seasons, I get to experience Christmas twice, and that's pretty cool. My first Christmas is in October, on days like today, when all my senses tell me that I should be happy because the weather is cool and dry, so Christmas must be coming. My second Christmas comes in December, when I get to do all those Christmassy things like writing cards, baking cookies, reading the Christmas story out loud, and dancing in the Nutcracker.

My brother just started as a freshmore (he's one of those smart kids who start college with sophmore standing) at the same school where I'm getting my PhD. We go out for coffee one or two mornings a week and we love to talk about the weather. I really don't think this is a sign that we're so bored that we have nothing else to talk about but the weather. Rather, I think we're two people who share a secret. We're having Christmas early and it makes us happy. What a beautiful trick of the senses.