It’s getting cooler, and as usual we are stuck between turning on the heat or running the AC. It happens every fall. Nights get cold and we start thinking about the flannel sheets that have been tucked away in the linen closet for the past seven months. Our closets do the seasonal shift – spring and summer clothes pushed to the back, upstaged by sweaters and long pants. And then, it happens every year, all of a sudden it’s back in the 80’s and we’re looking for a short-sleeved shirt and our favorite pair of shorts.

When my boys were younger, they refused to wear pants until it was really cold. Which meant never. I would watch them stand at the bus stop shivering, swearing that they weren’t cold, but I knew they were cold, and they knew that I knew they were cold. Honestly, I don’t think either one of them wore long pants until they went to college. There are well-fought battles with your children, this one, not so much.

Fall is my favorite season with its spectacular show of colors and the shift from summer fruit to apples and pears. I start thinking about making hearty soups and stews to replace summer salads and turning on the oven again to make bread and cookies. Yes, always chocolate chip cookies, and yes I still think Sarah Foster’s recipe is the best.

Fall also means that football is back. This will be my fourth year in a Fantasy Football League, my team –Carrboro Crush – is back once more. I think I finally figured out how this whole thing works. Well, that is until one or more of my players get hurt. I paid extra attention this year to the pre-season games and chatter on ESPN. I made a couple of spreadsheets before my draft knowing that the other nine teams wanted the same players. I mostly drafted who I wanted and filled a good bench for backup. I am going into Week Five with a 3-1 record and hope to extend that to 4-1 by Monday night. Maybe I won’t end up in the bottom playoff spot this year!

Fall is also the start of the holiday season. We move through October decorating everything orange and black for Halloween and sugar up all the neighborhood kids with candy and treats, to November – Election Day and Thanksgiving, my favorite holidays. I know Election Day isn’t a holiday in NC, but it should be. Ten states and two territories consider Election Day a public holiday, it’s time for it to become a Federal Holiday.

Thanksgiving is the pregame holiday. Families gather for a feast with plenty of leftovers to cover lunches for the following week. There is no expectation or panic to buy gifts, just a wonderful meal, thankfulness to share and spend time together. My family usually starts the day playing games and quickly moving to watching games before sitting down to a pretty traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I send everyone home stuffed and happy knowing that I will see them soon for yet another big dinner next month. Which brings us to December. Ah December! Feels like we celebrate the end of the year for an entire month. We eat too much, we drink too much and we don’t get enough sleep. Weight gain during the holidays, well, it’s kind of a myth. Sure – we eat more, but most people only gain a pound or two. The trick is to lose it as soon as the holiday season is over.

Enjoy your holidays and don’t be so guilt-ridden about the extra calories. Prepare and eat your traditional favorites like stuffing, pie and cookies but maybe lighten up on the candied sweet potatoes and buttery mashed potatoes. Have some steamed or roasted veggies on the side for a healthy choice. Think moderation, maybe skip that second piece of pumpkin pie. Eat slower and a little less, but taste everything. Take a walk after dinner. A short walk 2-5 minutes can help digestion and balance your glucose. And if you’re like me, set your daily goals and try to close those circles on your watch each day. Stay healthy y’all!

Penny and her family moved to Chapel Hill in 1998. She soon joined the Town of Chapel Hill’s Telecommunications and Technology advisory board and was appointed by the town to the OWASA board of directors where she served 6 years and held the Vice Chair position. In 2009 she ran and was elected to the town council in Chapel Hill, and in 2012 ran and was elected to the BOCC where she served 8 years, the last two as chair of the board. Penny owns and operates a personal chef and catering company and has been published in Cary Magazine, Gourmet Magazine, INDY Week, Southern Neighbor and News14. She lives in Carrboro with her mom Jersey Jacky. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram

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