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Darkness before 5 p.m. got you down? You might accidentally be doing fall and winter all wrong.

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It’s November. The clocks have changed. Moving toward the solstice and “falling back” an hour means it gets dark wicked early. When you Google the sunset time for your city and a 4 or a 5, the reality of this time of year hits.

If your next thought is “so sad,” hold up a minute. You’re certainly not alone. But unless you’re dealing with actual, clinical seasonal depression, you might just be doing fall and winter all wrong.

It cannot be overstated how much your quality of life decreases when it gets dark at 5pm instead of 7pm— Tyler Bindi (@TripleNetTyler) November 3, 2026

It cannot be overstated how much your quality of life decreases when it gets dark at 5pm instead of 7pm— Tyler Bindi (@TripleNetTyler) November 3, 2026

There’s a reason people go ga-ga over pumpkin spice lattes

The joy over pumpkin spice lattes may be the butt of cultural jokes at this point, but there’s an element of the celebration of their return every fall that’s totally healthy. Those who celebrate are engaged in a full, enthusiastic embrace of the season. Fall = pumpkin spice. It’s something definitive to look forward to. It also doesn’t last forever. You have to get it while it lasts.

Even if you don’t like the taste of pumpkin spice, the smell of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg likely conjures up some fuzzy feelings in you. Apple, pumpkin, warming spices—it’s all part of the cozy nostalgia of fall.

But only if you decide to see it that way.

The point here isn’t pumpkin spice; it’s leaning in and embracing the specific joys of whatever season you’re in. In summer, that’s barbecues, picnics, boating, swimming, sitting out on our porch in the evening. As the........

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