Stop Trying to Make Stick Season a Thing

Retail stores had Christmas merchandise on the floor and Halloween goods marked down before October 31st this year.

A similar breakneck speed approach is evident when people declare us to be in “stick season,” something I would argue is largely a fiction for southern New England, so please stop trying to make it a thing.

I have wondered if those posting about “stick season” on social media are doing nothing more than shining a light on their own well-being, or struggle with that.

But, it could just be folks riding a trend and choosing to depict only a narrow slice of reality – much like when people only write and post photos of one extreme or another, only their happiest moments or only their gripes. I’m sure you know both types – those who only ever air their dirty laundry and the others who go through life pretending to never break a sweat.

How do we pretend to have “stick season” when climate change extends warm weather?

It’s not annoying just because people are acting as if we are in a more drab time of year when leaves remain on the trees in early November. That would have been annoying enough.

There’s something bothersome about the lack of observation skills.

Evergreen trees and shrubs are their name. How do people purchase live Xmas trees every year and not retain this fact? Holly is a common shrub. The one in my yard is full of leaves and red berries, and could never be mistaken for mere sticks.

Besides seeing leaves still on plenty of deciduous trees in early November, flowers can still be seen. It’s not even a challenge right now.

The roses in Hartford’s Elizabeth Park look as good or better than they did in June. Maybe it’s the absence of crowds that make them stand out more.

Last Fall, Winter, and early Spring I paid attention more closely after hearing “stick season” declarations. I saw flowers outdoors nearly year-round in Connecticut. There was a lull for about two weeks; then, a dandelion. Perhaps folks who are convinced something does not exist stop bothering to wander in search for that thing.

We used to have longer and colder winters. This has not been the case for awhile. That, not so-called “stick season,” is what’s depressing.

We seem to be mentally stuck in a time that has gone.

Even Elizabeth Park’s website has increasingly less accurate information. On their previously helpful “What’s Blooming When” page, they say “The roses bloom until early fall and the annuals bloom from June until the first frost. The heritage roses bloom once in early June. The perennial and shade gardens bloom at various times between late May and September. The irises bloom in late May and the dahlias bloom in late summer.” Though they follow this with a sort of disclaimer – “this is New England and anything can happen” – the reality is that it has been some time since flowers stuck to this neat of a schedule.

Autumn began September 22, 2024. We are six weeks into fall, less than seven weeks from winter. The roses are not few and far between yet in the park.

The next time you hear that phrase “stick season” or an equivalent used, consider challenging the speaker on it.

When was the last time they spent time outdoors? Are they ignoring what exists in order to paint a distorted picture? Are they scurrying through time without pausing to look around?