As leaves slowly begin to fall from the trees scattered around Linfield’s lush campus, flannels come out from hiding, and pumpkin spice lattes saturate social media.

Fall is in the air.

And with the change of the season comes the inevitable desire to decorate for the approaching holiday: Halloween. With Halloween decorations already appearing on Linfield’s campus, Goodwill’s classic spider blanketing its roof, and grocery stores selling Halloween candy, we are already inundated with the Halloween theme.

But before you grab for that jack-o-lantern, consider the date. While the later half of September—specifically, Sept. 22—marks the first day of fall, there is no need to rush for the Halloween decorations.

September is still an opportunity to embrace the warm weather and sunshine of the summer months. And if you are like me, the desire to cherish the summer weather trumps all. The idea of summer coming to an end overwhelms me with sadness, and the sight of Halloween decorations makes the realization of summer’s end far too real.

I realize that the changing of seasons is inevitable in McMinnville, but with every leaf that drops a tear is shed. So, in an effort to make summer last as long as possible, I attempt to disregard the notion of fall until September’s end. And to help aid in my effort to prolong summer, I ask that Halloween decorations remain in storage—at least for now.

Maybe my reasoning is arbitrary or somewhat petty, but for someone that has a yearning for warm weather, a lengthened summer is what I need to survive winter.

However, once September ends and the calendar reads “October,” the mental shift from summer to fall will be made. And once that shift is achieved, I will be the biggest advocate for fall activities.

On Oct. 1, I will happily grab my flannel, pumpkin spice latte and will help decorate the entire campus in preparation for Halloween. But until then, let’s enjoy summer.

Is that a reasonable deal?