As the dulling shades of green are lost behind the beclouded hues of orange coating our flora’s face, it’s evident that Autumn’s embrace of Mother Nature is ever-tightening. Here in the ever-aflame state of Arizona, Autumn brings faint whispers of chilled wind alongside a bewitching aroma of sweetened pumpkin blended with a resinous fragrance caught on the falling leaves. But for the vast array of students here at Chandler High, this season brings more than just said marigold tint adding a tinge of eye candy for those out and about. For us, Autumn is a time for dearly held traditions to return again.
When the piles of leaves coated with a tangerine-blush mask the olive-colored grass below, Tegan Li kicks up leaves with every step he takes across Austin Field. While Li, a junior, spends most of his fall season playing football as a member of CHS’ Junior Varsity tackle football team, he ventures onto a different kind of meadow in November: his own backyard. Li explained, “Every year we invite family to this Turkey Bowl at my house.” For those non-football fans, a Turkey Bowl is a popular post-Thanksgiving tradition for many families, who play an informal game of football over the long weekend with friends and family members gathering together for the holiday.
Li explained this game is more about celebration than competition: “We’ll play football for fun, and to just like celebrate Thanksgiving together.” Although many families hold their own Turkey Bowls, Li’s yearly game is a tradition that is uniquely meaningful to him. Whether it be for the loose rules that are more of a suggestion than anything or the teams being comprised of family, it’s a practice that is uniquely Li’s. Li’s family Turkey Bowl is a unique tradition he looks forward to every year, a reoccurring chance to spend time with those he holds dearly.
Autumn is far more than a season; it’s far more than a jumble of superficial sensations. It’s the backdrop of a play staged every year. You can run your eyes over its charming apricot-hued decorations or get lost in the aromatic scents of the season, but it’s the events and traditions that happen between those curtains that matter. Autumn is the stage where we can take part in our unique practices that define not only the season, but our identities as well. By the time those curtains close, when we have celebrated our own traditions with friends and family, we will have made fond memories to reflect upon for years to come, memories we make again every time the curtains of autumn open each year.
