As seasons go, fall gets a bum rap. Winter shines with the holidays, while summer holds the promise of vacations, sunshine, shorts, and warmth. Spring garners its fans by not being winter, as well as promising folks some flowers if they’ll wait out some showers. That leaves us with fall — poor, blustery fall. Drab. The creep of cold.

I’m here to convince you otherwise.

Fall is my favorite season. I love the nip in the air, the falling, colorful leaves, the slowing down to the summer madness. While the leaves and grass may be dying, fall is actually pregnant with possibility. New school year, new football and basketball seasons, and even a new television season usher in with autumn.

Sure, we lose some daylight, but the next time you’re lamenting the loss of light, try this. Come home after work, take a hot shower or bath, change into some comfortable pajamas, make some hot chocolate, sit in a comfortable chair, and, then, do nothing. Seriously, don’t do anything. I’m telling you, no amount of sunshine can beat house shoes, hot chocolate, quiet, and stillness. Throw in a good book, and you’re set for the rest of the evening. Heck, the rest of the week!

Fall is about slowing down, comfort food, and traditions. You can enjoy a warm jacket, having an excuse to use the word “brisk,” and the beginnings of a new school year, whether you’re young or just young at heart. You can also anticipate the start of a run of some awesome holidays. Christmas is laden with pressure, but Halloween is pure fun. Then, if you can’t enjoy Thanksgiving, well, the problem’s with you, not the season. Pass the stuffing, please!

But that’s not all! With fall, you can enjoy the simple pleasure of not being hot and sweaty all the time. Less bugs too! You’ll even get an extra hour of sleep one weekend in the fall, and when, really, do you ever get the extra sleep you so badly need and so richly deserve?

You can date Winter, with her glitzy baubles. You can have a long fling with Summer, with his sultry ways. And maybe you rob the cradle with Spring, with her youthful vitality. But Fall’s the one you marry. Comfortable. Kind. Peaceful. Steady. Even. Interesting, but not dangerous. You bring Fall home to mom and dad, and they approve. Fall’s the one.

So, go ahead. Fall for fall. I did, and I’ve never looked back.