Does the "Fall Season" Start July 5? Well...

The 4th of July.

A day to celebrate America's independence. The day we dropped two atomic bombs on British forces in Boston and Lexington. A holiday where we wake up, eat fireworks, drink hamburgers off the grill, and where no man or woman's BAC drops below a 2.0.

Especially this year, America's 250th birthday, which apparently has some overly complicated official name like the Bi-Quince-Tri-Centennial or something.

Regardless.

The 4th of July is important, obviously. It's also the last real holiday of the spring/summer season before we move into the undisputed best time of year:

Fall.

Fall, which of course begins on July 5th.

Over the weekend, I asked the Journal's followers on Facebook when it becomes acceptable to decorate for Fall. I mean, Hobby Lobby started rolling out Fall décor this month. Heck, they've already got Christmas garlands and wreaths lurking on the back shelves.

According to our dear readers, the sweet spot seems to be somewhere between late August and early September.

"But why?" you may ask.

Because, frankly, summer sucks.Every other day it's tornado sirens, flooding, brutal heat, and worst of all—for those of us with a more translucent complexion: the sun itself.

Summer fashion is great until it's not. Shirts, shorts, and sandals look good right up until you've been outside for 3.4 seconds and are sweating through all of them simultaneously.

And let's not forget those brave souls with leather seats in their vehicles, who sacrifice a layer of skin from the backs of their legs every time they sit down.

Summer is fine if you're somewhere tropical, sitting beside a pool, surrounded by beautiful trees, with a drink in your hand. Maybe another drink. Probably a third drink.

But then there are the bugs. The bugs.

Mosquitoes. June bugs. Gnats. Flies. Random flying creatures that appear to have been designed specifically to ruin your day. They're everywhere. All the time.

Everything is sticky. Everything is hot. Even food suffers. You're already hot, then you eat hot food, and now you're just hotter. Then there are the absolute sickos who voluntarily sit outside.

Patio seating at Potros in July? Yeah, can I get a side of sweat with my queso?

And in all this heat, summer is also when you discover that a shocking percentage of the population appears to have no concept of deodorant.

Now, I'll give summer some credit. Summer scents are great. Who doesn't love sandalwood, ocean breeze, or fresh-cut grass?

But all of that pales in comparison to Fall. Fall is crisp. Fall is clean. The fashion? Layers always look good. The smells. The comfort. The colors. Fall is cozy. Fall is nostalgic.

Fall brings back memories of handprint turkey crafts, Halloween TV specials, the smell of cheap costumes when you walk down the costume aisle at Walmart, and running through piles of leaves with that satisfying crunch under your feet.

A home decorated for Fall just feels warmer. Cozier. More inviting. The leaves. The pumpkins. The scarecrows.

Everything about it feels right.

So I don't know about you, but the second those fireworks stop popping, I'm ready to start hauling out the Fall decorations. I'm ready for sweatshirts. I'm ready for pumpkins.

Most importantly, I'm ready to be comfortable again.