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OPINION
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2023
GRAPHIC BY ALICIA ALVAREZ
I am in love with the fall season
disappointing fun-sized candy, these homeowners were handing out bags of kettle corn, cups of hot chocolate, and the one in a million find: kingsized candy bars. I smile every time I drive by that Alicia Alvarez neighborhood, even though PRODUCTION EDITOR I’ll never afford a house I wait nine excruciating there, because of that one months every year for fall night. a breeze to carry an Fall truly took my heart intoxicating chill and a hostage in my late-teen to euphoric scent of cinnamon. young-adult years. Watching the leaves slowly morph into a rainbow of earthy colors and hearing them crunch beneath my feet makes midterm season tolerable. My favorite memories have always centered around the season. My mother always made Halloween special for me. Walking into the costume stores was the highlight of October weekends in my I finally am able to do childhood. couples costumes, which I was terrified of those I’ve envied for years, as animatronics that all stores I now have a partner put at their entrance. I willing to be my Ken doll don’t know who decided and be dressed by me for that putting a seven-foot Halloween. I have a list clown in the direct path of that could be turned into the children’s section was a novel of costume ideas a good idea, but luckily it for the two of us, some didn’t ruin the season of which we have already for me. executed perfectly. Just like any other young I’m a stereotypical girl that was raised on Instagrammer, so as soon Disney, I was determined as that autumn chill hits to dress as a princess every pumpkin patches, cinnamon single year. My saint of a rolls, lattes and sweaters mother consistently shelled dance around through my out the $60 for a poorly feed. I adore fall outfits made costume, making each and finally pulling out my Halloween more magical favorite long-sleeve shirts than the last. without the fear of leaving I remember trick-orsweat stains on them. treating around the richest Apple picking, jumping neighborhood I had ever in leaf piles, taking spookyseen, with a few family themed photos; send me friends. Instead of the just a text and I’m there. My
cousin has been bombarded with Instagram reels in her DMs for the past three weeks of fun-fall activities that we’ll probably never do. But it’s the thought that counts, right? The scents are what truly make me feel as though I’m locked in a loving embrace during the season. Walking into my aunt’s house and being greeted with the smell of ponche is a dreamy reality every time
celebrated on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, it is believed in Hispanic culture that the spirits of the dead return to the world of the living to spend time with their family members according to an article from The Mexican Museum. The holiday allows me to celebrate and honor my ancestors, family members I never got to meet. Dia de los Muertos allows me to connect to my paternal
been my light and guide in discovering my own culture, was born in November. My aunt, who has been my tutor in Spanish and cultural dishes, was born in October. A childhood friend that stuck by me through the darkest period of my life was born in the same month. I celebrate some of the people I love and who love me most in this season, how could I not adore it?
I don’t know who decided that putting a seven-foot clown in the direct path of the children’s section was a good idea, but luckily it didn’t ruin the season for me.
that breeze hits. Cinnamon brooms and seasonally appropriate candles are strewn across my room. I may smell like a mixture of a Bath and Body Works and a Michaels craft store for the next two months but I couldn’t be happier. You can drown in my apple turnover-scented perfume for all I care. The superficial aesthetic of the season is only the surface level of my adoration though. Dia de los Muertos is incredibly important to me and my culture. Being a Mexican American woman, I claw at and clutch onto any connection I have to my roots. Dia de los Muertos is a holiday with origins that predates Hispanic colonization and is
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EXECUTIVE EDITOR MATTHEW GONZALEZ MANAGING EDITOR JILLIAN DARNELL PRODUCTION EDITOR ALICIA ALVAREZ NEWS EDITOR IRENE ADELINE MILANEZ ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR ALINA TA A&E EDITOR ALEXIA FREDERICKSON SPORTS EDITOR MAT BEJARANO
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grandmother. I’m named after this woman despite never getting the chance to speak to her, but my rituals and practices during this celebration gives me a sense of comfort and belonging with her. Dia de los Muertos has given me something I lacked for most of my life, a sense of loving connection to my culture. I fall in love with the season every single time I recall that fall cradles this special connection and memory in its lovingly cold arms. Walking into my local Trader Joe’s and seeing cempasuchil proudly blooming with vibrant oranges melts my heart. Some of my closest friends and family members were born in this sacred season. My cousin, who has
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Wrapping their gifts in festive autumn-themed paper gives me an unreasonable amount of joy both for the aesthetic and the fact that I get to celebrate my favorite people in my favorite time of year. While I no longer celebrate Thanksgiving, I still have fond memories of it that tie me back to fall. My mother and I never enjoyed the pre-assigned food for this holiday, so one year, we decided to change it. Instead of dry turkey and grainy mashed potatoes, we made our favorite foods. Pesto pasta, garlic bread, fruits and vegetables lined our table. It was always just the two of us on Thanksgiving, but I never complained. I cherish that annual cold
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fall night and the memories of my mom and I dancing in the kitchen as we cook. We turned the holiday that neither of us ever liked into our own tradition. I remember curling up on the couch with my mom after our faux Thanksgiving meal with ice cream and warm apple pie to watch whatever show she was obsessed with at the time. I’m excited to return to this little tradition as soon as I’m able to tear myself away from campus. Of course, I love the simple things that fall brings too. Poorly carved pumpkins and horror movies that make me hide beneath blankets instead of watching them are my favorite seasonal activities. Spooky date nights are on the top of my to-do list for autumn. I’m forcing my wonderful long-distance boyfriend to sit through a zoom call with me while I bake those adorable little Halloween cookies and he's going to like it. I’ve already planned our couples costume, little does he know he still has to wear it despite being thousands of miles away. Despite my vehement hatred for pumpkin spice, which is a terrible flavor and should be discontinued, I will always hold this spooky season close to my heart.
Follow Alicia on X (formerly Twitter) @alicialvarez02
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