After the intense heat of Florida summers, many people can’t wait for fall’s chilly breeze and falling leaves. According to a CBS News article, 45% of people say fall is their favorite season, and it’s easy to see why. Between the food, the shows and the fashion, many people view fall as a fresh start or a time to be warm and cozy.
Fall Foods
A popular pastime during fall is baking seasonal desserts, and all fall desserts center around one thing: the warm spices and pumpkin that fall is so famous for. Some other flavors on the fall palette include apple, cinnamon, chai and maple. These flavors show up in many popular fall desserts, not only through the taste, but also the smell. For example, maple pecan pie, apple cider donuts, pumpkin pie and chai sugar cookies are all fan favorites, according to the New York Times. However, English teacher Kent Kersten favors caramel in the fall.
“I do think caramel is better than pumpkin,” Kersten said. “It’s less basic, and there’s something pudding-y about the texture of pumpkin. Nobody doesn’t like a nice salted caramel.”
English teacher Hannah Schuttler also loves baking during fall and her number one dessert is centered around the iconic pumpkin spice.
“I bake a lot of pumpkin bread, and I try to make two or three new dishes every fall … (usually) something with apples and cinnamon,” Schuttler said.
Fall drinks are also a huge part of a fall fanatic’s plate, like the one and only pumpkin spice latte. Most commonly bought from Starbucks, the pumpkin spice latte was introduced in 2003 and has been a fan favorite ever since. Other popular fall drinks are the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai, the Iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte, and the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino.
Seasonal savory dishes to try include a 50-minute white chicken chili recipe and a baked spaghetti, both from the New York Times. Some delectable dessert recipes include apple galette and pumpkin pancakes.
Seasonal Shows
When someone says “fall shows,” most people think of Gilmore Girls. Its cozy aesthetic and fall setting are perfect for the season. Some other stellar seasonal shows to watch include “Gossip Girl,” “Wednesday, ” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The movie list is even longer with favorites like “Halloweentown,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”, etc. While “Wednesday” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” are more centered around the spooky side of fall and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “Halloweentown”, and “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” are more family-friendly and about embracing self-identity, all of these movies are fall-oriented. Schuttler and her friends also have their own list of movies they watch every fall.
“My friends and I are already starting to talk about watching ‘Practical Magic’ and ‘Hocus Pocus’,” Schuttler said. “We don’t do that any other time of the year.”
Fall Fashion
While bathing suits and shorts are the go-tos for summer, once it is time for fall, closets are emptied and restocked with oversized, cozy clothing. Senior Alexia Carvajal’s favorite pieces of clothing play on this comfy theme.
“(My favorite fall clothing) are jeans, camo pants … I like wearing sweaters and hoodies, too,” Carvajal said.
Some additional fall fashion favorites include cardigans, boots, scarves and plaid patterns. According to Vogue, the biggest fashion trends of fall 2025 are school-inspired ensembles, like collared shorts and blazers, silk dresses and pants and sequins everywhere. Although people around the world wear warm clothes during fall, it’s a bit more difficult to do so in Florida, where even in October, the temperatures are a nice, humid 86° F.
Fall may be a popular season because of aspects like food or seasonal movies, but these aren’t the only reasons. According to Verywell Mind, a mental health guidance website, research proves that fall boosts motivation to pursue goals because it is a temporal landmark, a moment that creates structure for us to see and use time. Fall is seen as the time for back to school, and is still seen as a time for fresh starts, even by adults. Even if you are a die-hard summer or winter fan, there is something in fall to be enjoyed by everyone.
“The fall aesthetic is fun because there’s so much hope in it,” Schuttler said. “It’s the beginning of the holiday season for a lot of cultures, and … it just feels like the beginning of something, even though it’s the end of the year.”
