This fall, I’m raking my brain instead of leaves. The frigid wind of autumn has blown summer far from its AC bills and sweaty sunscreen to bonfires and steaming-hot apple cider. Pumpkins worldwide are being ritually disemboweled and set on display as jovial reminders that we all foster fear.

The seasonal preparations: Kids crave Halloween candy, hungry relatives thirst for the thanksgiving feast, wallets drain for Santa’s sleigh, and hopeful hearts look to Christmas day.
Every day that’s colder leaves me giddier for winter.