Fall: Expectations vs. Reality

Autumn is in the air.

The days are getting shorter, the weather's getting colder and we're all slipping into cozy daydreams of fluffy sweaters and steaming hot PSLs.

Sadly, fall is never quite as magical as we imagine it to be. Don't believe us? Keep scrolling for a painfully accurate expectations vs. reality for fall.

Weather

Expectation: Autumn is perfect. It's a flawless balance between the overwhelming heat of summer and the unbearable chill of winter—both of which force you to stay inside all day every day. Fall, however, only requires a light jacket or your favorite cozy sweater. It's just warm enough to spend your days soaking in the fresh air and stomping through piles of leaves without resorting to multiple layers of clothing and a heavy winter coat.

Reality: The weather has no idea what it's doing. Some days it's freezing cold, other days it might as well be summer again. Even worse, you face a month-long period (at least) where it's freezing in the morning and hot by noon, resulting in outfits that aren't equipped to be worn for an entire day. Sure, you can enjoy some time outside, but outdoor activities have to planned at your own risk since the weather has absolutely no consistency.

Falling Leaves

Expectation: The leaves change color so beautifully, infusing your world with hues of gold and orange. They'll fall perfectly and turn the world into a gorgeous replica of a fairytale forest. You'll love spending time outside just traipsing through the fallen leaves, creating piles to jump into and enjoying the simple happiness of a new season.

Reality: Sure, the leaves look pretty on the tree as they change color, but as soon as they fall to the ground everything turns into a mess. They get wet and soggy, usually turning a gross brown color that sticks to your shoes and follows you wherever you go. Jumping into a pile of leaves often results in a painful crash to the ground, considering leaves aren't actually soft or comfortable to land on. Not to mention, it's usually your job to rake up the mess of fallen leaves, creating more chore time and less time enjoying yourself.

Carving Pumpkins

Expectation: With Halloween right in the middle of our fall experience, it's obviously the best time to engage in a little pumpkin carving. You have the perfect design planned in your mind and you know your pumpkin will be the ultimate Halloween-themed addition to your house, making it an inviting stop for trick-or-treaters of all ages.

Reality: Carving the pumpkin isn't nearly as easy as you thought. You spend a solid hour pulling all the gross guts out and making a mess of your kitchen table, only to completely ruin your whole design on the first cut. Plus, your timing is off, so your pumpkin is dead and rotting way before Halloween ever arrives. Now you have 10,000 uneaten pumpkin seeds and nothing else to show for all your hard work.

Fall Fashion

Expectation: Finally, you can break out all your favorite fall staples. Soft sweaters, fun leggings and fashionable boots fill your closet, allowing you to create the cutest outfits for every fun day of fall.

Reality: You give your ensembles effort for about a week, and then you get just as lazy as you did during summer. You start re-wearing the same three sweaters and you're much more interested in dressing for comfort than for fashion. Plus, there's still that whole issue of the temperamental weather, meaning it's usually too hot to wear your best sweaters until the winter months anyway.

Halloween

Expectation: You're so excited for Halloween. You just know you're going to have the perfect outfit picked out weeks in advance, and you'll spend the night partying with all your pals. Plus, this year you'll make sure you don't over-indulge on candy, leading to a night filled with lots of fun and zero stomachaches.

Reality: Even though you were planning to have an outfit all planned out, you have yet to make a final decision the day before Halloween. You end up recycling last year's outfit because it's easy, even though it shows a real lack of creativity. None of your friends could agree on a plan, so you'll probably just spend the night at home handing out candy and watching scary movies with your family. Also, who were you kidding? You ate way too much candy and spent the whole night tossing and turning because your stomach just wouldn't settle down.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Expectation: The ultimate treat of the fall season, you're so stoked to start each day with a delicious PSL. It tastes like happiness and comfort and all things fall poured into a cup. You could drink PSLs all day, and you plan to take full advantage of this fall treat.

Reality: How do you always manage to forget that PSLs are so sweet? You take a sip of your very first one and you're immediately hit with an overwhelming dose of sugar. It's good as a one-time treat, but it's likely you won't be getting many more Pumpkin Spice Lattes for the rest of fall. Which is actually okay, considering it's usually too hot outside to really enjoy them, anyway.

Still think you can create a fashionable outfit every day of fall? We might be able to help. Click HERE for eight adorable fall outfits that require a plaid shirt.