Fall officially arrives this year on Saturday, September 23, but the celebration of all things fall will have started right after Labor Day.

As a season, fall enjoys a unique popularity. It’s cooler than summer, mellower than spring, and doesn’t include the physical and mental challenges of dealing with winter. Still, consider these steps when making plans for your fall experience.

In theory, the arrival of fall requires a slight change in wardrobe options. The days should be getting cooler, so flannel shirts, jeans, and light jackets start being seen more and more. However, should you reside in a part of the country that doesn’t start getting cooler until, say, December, heavier clothing might be inadvisable even if the season’s fashions call for it.

We suggest a compromise; dress for your own comfort and style based on the weather in your area, and ignore the fashion critics.  Weather too warm for light jackets? Pick out clothing made with thinner fabrics in fall colors. Temperatures dropped below 70 degrees and you want to wear a heavy winter jacket because you’re cold? Nobody says you can’t, but maybe wear a light shirt underneath just in case it gets too warm. Wearing white after Labor Day? Go ahead; Florida residents do it all the time.

Summer tends to get all the attention about getting outdoors and enjoying the weather, but anyone that’s been outside on a hot summer day know that isn’t true. Fall, on the other hand, presents a host of more attractive reasons to get out of the house.

What about fall screams outdoors? Depending on where you live, fall offers baseball playoffs, football, outdoor festivals, changing leaves, cooler (and less humid) weather, Oktoberfest celebrations, carnivals, and Halloween. Plus, if you want to go camping or hiking, the weather conditions allow for a more comfortable experience.

The idea of spending time in the great outdoors during summer was probably pushed by the camping and fishing supply industry, anyway.

We get it; pumpkin spice can be a very divisive subject, second only to the debate on whether pineapple belongs on a pizza. It certainly hasn’t helped that pumpkin spice’s popularity hit an all-time high a few years ago, resulting in pumpkin spice products hitting the shelves in late July.

Who asked for that, anyway? What use is pumpkin spice bread in July? You can’t bring that to a Labor Day cookout.

While pumpkin spice needs to stay in its own seasonal lane, pumpkin spice enthusiasts have the right to enjoy the things that make them happy. And if ordering a pumpkin spice latte with a pumpkin spice muffin makes you happy, you should do so.

And for those of you fretting that pumpkin spice has saturated the fall goods market, take comfort by voting with your wallet. If you don’t buy the pumpkin spice hot dog, they’ll eventually stop making the pumpkin spice hotdog.

It’ll fly by quickly, so take the time to enjoy this fall before the holiday season kicks into high gear. That usually happens in early October when the Christmas stuff starts becoming available in stores.