The official announcement has been made and the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) will arrive at your local Starbucks on August 25^th, 2020, almost a full week early.  Those that don’t understand this season will simply roll their eyes and go back to enjoying the last few days of summer, but to those Pumpkin Spicers that look forward to this time every year, this is the start of something wonderful.

Pumpkin spice season is so much more than a drink from your local coffee shop; it is a feeling, a time to embrace all things fall and the start to the holiday seasons.  Normally, the PSL arrives on September 1^st and is the official kickoff to autumn and a farewell to the summer.  It tells you that it is time to get the kids ready for school, that football is around the corner and to decorate the house for the coming seasons. The nights and mornings start to get cooler, the leaves start to change colour, and your door will have a new wreath to welcome the fall.  

Trips are planned to Michael’s for their pumpkins, scarecrows and harvest signs followed by a quick stop in at Bath and Body Works for their Pumpkin Apple candles and the apple crisp soaps.  You house goes from basic to a fall wonderland of oranges and reds and yellows, all while sipping a cup of coffee.  Once the house is in order, then comes the trips to the countryside to enjoy the beautiful colours of the leaves and the freshly picked apples.  

Pumpkin everything will slowly start to emerge.  It starts with the PSL and then expands to pumpkin scones and pumpkin muffins.  The humble apple will also become in demand with apple pies and apple crisps gracing almost every table in the fall.  Food that we didn’t touch over summer will make its way to our table from stews and chilies to turkeys and pumpkin pie.   

This is the season for the oversized sweaters with the leggings or jeans and the knee high boots to complete the look.  The scarves will come later towards the end of September and into October once the afternoons start to cool off as well.  Yes, the pumpkin spice season is about more than just a drink, it is a fashion, a décor and a lifestyle.

Life has changed greatly with COVID-19, but things appear to be returning back to normal, slowly but surely.  The return of the pumpkin spice latte is a sign that the pumpkin spice army can start their fall routines and traditions, without the fear of the unknown hanging over their shoulder. 

Although the official kickoff is now August 25^th, I will keep to my promise with my husband and not start my official decorating until September 1^st, as I have done for the last 10 years.  While my husband clings to the last few warm days of summer, I will be anxiously waiting for September 1^st and my first PSL of the season while I decorate our home for fall.