The trees are nearly naked, their skeletal branches are stark against a white and overcast sky, a sky without definition. The thirty foot oak tree that stands outside our house has picked up the pace at shedding its small, light brown leaves. Like puzzle pieces they cover our cars, the street and the sidewalk. Oak leaves are piling up on our front lawn too. They crunch under my feet as I walk out to check the mailbox. I rake these leaves into a fairly large pile and pause to reflect. This memory floods into my mind.

An enormous pile of leaves, oaks as well, sits in the backyard of my childhood home in New Jersey. My siblings and I sprint towards the pile, leaping with reckless abandon until we land with a crunch and a rustle right in the center. We emerge bursting with laughter, our hair and clothes covered in the badges of autumn.

Years later with children of my own, I’d relive this experience vicariously through them under our oak tree, seeing more than a bit of my eight year old self in their laughing eyes.

The apple, cherry and Asian pear trees in our backyard are also in the midst of a leaf shedding frenzy. Shaped like tropical fish, their brilliant yellow leaves vibrate with contrast as they swim across the grass, turned deep green by the recent rains. At the height of summer these trees form a nearly unbroken canopy of green, obscuring all but a glimpse of the houses and backyards of our neighbors. The trees are alive with birds but they are difficult to spot, hidden as they are in the dense foliage. But with the branches of these trees gradually laid bare, the birds are now in plain sight, the mysterious locations of their springtime nests are revealed as well. Woodpeckers, chickadees, sparrows, robins, jays and warblers can be easily observed as they flit from branch to branch, tree to tree. Feeders- nectar for the hummingbirds, seeds and suet for all the others – provide winter food for them and excellent birding for us.

The thinning foliage of our apple tree reveals the last of the fruit. Bright red apples hang like early Christmas ornaments amidst the jumble of branches and limbs. We’ve reached our limit on eating, juicing, donating to friends and applesauce production so we leave the rest of the apples to the scrub jays, flickers, woodpeckers and squirrels. This has been a banner year for apples so there are plenty to go around.

Right on cue our citrus has begun to ripen. Easter egg yellow lemons, bright orange tangerines, navel oranges and gradually pinkening grapefruits all announce their presence in hues that deepen with each passing day. One of my great pleasures this time of year is eating the tangerines. They always seem to taste best in the morning when their lightly dimpled skin is wet with dew. The peels come away easily, usually in one continuous piece, revealing the small fruit within. When I pop each section into my mouth, there’s a burst of juice and complexity of flavors that can’t be bought in a store. Grapefruits and oranges will be squeezed later, providing us with fresh juice for months.

The days are getting shorter as winter solstice approaches. Darkness arrives early and stays well into the early morning hours. The air is crisp and invigorating. My breath escapes me in swirling clouds of white, each exhalation disappearing quickly into the air. The cool overcast days and near freezing nights allow me to slow down and deeply appreciate the changes that are upon us.

While the leaves gradually disappear, Christmas decorations begin to reappear. I feel a sense of urgency this holiday season. Last year the holidays were for all intents and purposes postponed. With traditional celebrations, gatherings and travel nearly back to pre-Covid levels, we are all thankful and eager to make up for lost time. I began noticing Christmas decorations even before Thanksgiving. Front lawns are now alive with a festive explosion of twinkling lights, color, Santas, reindeer and all the other icons of Christmas.

In closing I can’t forget to mention the sunsets. On certain nights in autumn/winter when the clouds and weather conditions are just right, the evening sky is ablaze with every imaginable shade, hue and tint of pink, yellow, orange, purple and red. Mother Nature has really loaded up her palette with colors this year and on some nights she uses them all.

Winter is closing in. Build a fire in the fireplace, snuggle up someplace warm with the ones you love and savor every moment.