I know it’s a hot take, but summer is overrated. That being said, I do have to give summer some credit. Most people believe that it is the best for good reason. Everybody is off of school, the weather is warm, and there are endless activities to do outside. However, the St. Louis summer can become extreme. The heat often surpasses the comfortable temperature, and people start to sweat after being outside for just a short time. The humidity is also horrible after a rain. St. Louis also lies right in the middle of the country, far from the nice beaches of the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Students like Ashton Whittley ’25 will argue that the only good thing about a St. Louis summer is the time off from school.

Fortunately, St. Louis’ fall days greatly make up for the average summer. Fall has the perfect cool temperatures that allow people to wear hoodies and sweatpants on colder days or stick with a t-shirt and shorts on warmer ones. However, we are not yet in the extreme cold of winter, the worst part of the year for Henry Hammell ’25. The red, orange, and yellow foliage also provides great scenery that is brighter than the typical green of summer and much more exciting than the bare trees of winter. As a soccer player, I like seeing the Chaminade field as a nice yellow color, and it’s a classic look for late season games or the playoffs each year.

Another awesome part of the fall is the return of many of the major sports leagues. The NFL, the NHL, and NBA all begin their seasons in the fall, and the MLB Postseason also starts. With STL CITY, St. Louis now has the MLS Playoffs to follow as well. High school sports is also something that many people look forward to. Playing or just cheering for your school is one of the best experiences. A packed student section on a gameday is so much fun to be a part of as a student and to see and hear from the field as a player.

Finally, fall leads up to the best stretch of holidays in the year. We start with Halloween at the end of October, and there are only two weeks until Thanksgiving, one of the most underrated holidays and almost a full week off school. After Thanksgiving, we move right into the month-long Christmas season, which is mine and many people’s favorite holiday.

With perfect cool temperatures, the return of sports, and the holiday season, fall definitely surpasses summer as the better season of the year.