As I write this, I can look out the window and see trees with leaves in hues of gold. The sunlight has that particular appearance suggesting it would warm you just enough to make a light jacket or hooded sweatshirt agreeable for a walk in the pleasantly brisk air.

Autumn is the time of year when I am in my element. I love fall holidays, foods, cold-weather clothing, just about everything related to it. My fiancee shares the very same preference for the time between the beginning of September and the end of November, one of the reasons we connect so well.

And this year, we are absolutely, positively going to do every fall-related activity we wanted to do last year.

Unfortunately, 2016 found us moving on Halloween, which I honestly consider my fiancee’s most important holiday of the year. Lugging boxes from our old apartment to our little cottage was exhausting, stressful and altogether miserable. The place was essentially barren, we had no time to decorate. The Wi-Fi hadn’t been hooked up yet, so we couldn’t stream any of our favorite horror movies. We had neither the supplies nor the energy to make Halloween treats. The most we could do was place a pumpkin on our front step. After that, we just collapsed and lamented our poor timing.

While we had everything in a bit more order by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, our pitiful kitchen afforded little space to effectively prepare a Thanksgiving feast. I made do, but it paled in comparison to previous efforts. What with the myriad issues related to heating and electricity in the place, we didn’t even think to put up any decorations.

This year, however, we landed a nice rental with gorgeous surroundings, amenities we had lived without for years, and more space than we know what to do with. And we made absolutely sure that we would have the place set up in time for Halloween.

Upon moving in earlier this month, we went right to work on setting up witch decals on the windows, fabric ghosts on our front door, and green string lights on our back porch. There’s still more to be done, but I feel like our decorations will be complete before we even finish setting up the living room.

With that early start, we have even more time to take advantage of the beautiful fall activities in our area. Apple picking is on the schedule, along with selecting fresh pumpkins from a patch — not a grocery store — and carving them up at our home, taking an afternoon stroll with a hot cup of cider as the leaves fall, and just about every other stereotypical thing you could imagine.

And for those opportunities, I’m rather thankful. Our area gifts us with some of the most stunning displays of autumn, which people often travel great distances to take in. And this year, I’m going to have the chance to do so with my fiancee.

The only thing that could make this season even better, for her at least, is if we were living in Salem. But, I’m pretty sure we’re not going anywhere this fall.

And that’s just fine with us.