Now, go make a cup of tea, wrap yourself in a blanket, and watch the November sky do its thing. Whatever you call it, it’s the most atmospheric month of the year.
There is a specific moment, usually around the second week of November, when the world seems to hold its breath.
There is a subset of humanity—poets, farmers, slow-livers—who argue that November is the truest form of autumn. October is a liar, they say. October is a flashy show-off with its candy and costumes and electric colors. October is the prom queen of seasons. is november autumn or winter
This is the root of our cognitive dissonance. November is statistically an autumn month, but behaviorally, it often acts like a winter one. Since the calendars can’t agree, we have to take this debate to a higher court: our own senses. How does November feel ?
Winter does not begin until the , which falls between December 20th and 23rd. Until that specific moment when the North Pole reaches its maximum tilt away from the sun, we are still in autumn. Therefore, every single day of November—from the 1st to the 30th—falls firmly inside the autumn quadrant. Now, go make a cup of tea, wrap
The answer, it turns out, depends entirely on who you ask—and what lens you use to look at the month. Let’s start with the rule-followers. If you subscribe to the astronomical calendar (the one based on the Earth’s tilt and the solstices), the argument is open-and-shut.
November is real.
For 30 days, we get to watch the world change its clothes. We watch the bare branches etch themselves against the frosty dawn. We watch our breath fog in the air for the first time. We experience the shock of early darkness and the comfort of the first fire in the hearth.