the ask@AAR: What’s the most romantic season?
Here in the American Southeast, summer is closing in. When Sophie and I walk in my neighborhood, people are out in shorts and slides, and the sound of air-conditioning hums all around us. It’s hot and humid and, by mid day, the intrepid runners pelting past us two old ladies–Sophie is almost 11–are covered in sweat.
Summer, perhaps because of where I live, is not my favorite season. Direct sunlight makes me itch–I’m a big fan of overly large sun hats–and humidity makes everything harder to do. I do love sultry–but not as brutal–long summer nights and how, at least until July, bright green the world is. But overall, I prefer fall, spring, and over summer.
Summer doesn’t seem very romantic to me. Sticky sex isn’t as winning, IMHO, as intimacy where every touch makes lovers drip. And don’t even get me started on sex on the beach. THERE ARE PLACES SAND SHOULD NEVER GO.
I’d pick winter as the most romantic season. There’s the literal joy of warmth in a chilly time, the anticipatory thrill of seeing a lover unwrapped from all the cold-busting layers of clothes, the cocooning sense of wonderful it’s just the two of us that snuggling under heavy covers can bring.
Spring is up there too–all the rebirth and color–and, if I’m taking romance out of the equation, fall is my personal favorite time of year.
How ’bout you? What do you think is the most romantic season? What’s your favorite?
I grew up in Southern California, fortunately only 20 miles from the beach. But the heat? I hated it. Sticky hot days, smog, no air con at home and no pool in the back yard. I never thought SoCal even had seasons! I now live in England where the weather is completely erratic a lot of the time but there are seasons and though there are some very warm (and humid) spells in summer, the weather is mainly mild. For me, spring is the most romantic time of the year: I love seeing the snowdrops, crocus, daffodils – those beautiful spots of sunshine after the cold of winter!!!, hyacinth, bluebells and then roses start to bloom in mid May. We have an ancient Albertine climbing rose on the front of our house and it has a divine scent to its pink blossoms. I leave the bedroom windows open whenever possible so we can lie in bed and smell it. Heavenly! Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud sums spring up – here is the last stanza:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
I contend that summer is the sexiest season: swimsuits, shorts, beach, pool – a lot of bare skin, sultry nights, etc.
I think spring is the sweetest romantic season: budding sunshine, blooming flowers, everything feeling fresh and new.
And winter is the most passionate romantic season: a nest of blankets in front of a crackling fire, quilts on a couch or bed, candlelight…
Or at least this is what romance novels have taught me!
I love this!!!! Although now I feel sorry for fall!
This question makes me think of Lisa Kleypas’ Wallflowers series – although The Devil in Winter is my favorite, It Happened One Autumn is 2nd!
Summer is the most romantic season IMO. I live on the shores of Lake Erie and our summers are amazing with lazy 70-85 degrees days. Long evenings with beautiful sunsets end sitting by the fire pit when the sun goes down. When it’s hot we swim. I work sporadically and on my own schedule in the summer. I feel so relaxed that I have time to feel sexy.
Well, if all those September birthdays are any indication, it would seem winter solstice is eros’ busiest season; my son was born in early October ;-)
I know what my parents were doing at Xmas and New Years. Nine months later there I was.
Hmmmm…. My kids are December, July, and May. #alwaysgettingbusy
Ha! Us, too, I guess. My kids were born in Nov, Dec, January, February, March and April. I’m a June and my husband is a July baby. It was totally random, and I always thought it was interesting we didn’t have any repeat month. Plus they were all born in odd numbered years.
My family has 9 September and three October birthdays out of ~24 persons, across 3 generations . . . !
While I’m not a fan of 90+ (F) dog-days, I do love hot weather. I hate being cold. Being cold quite literally makes me mad. Spring is great, but in NC, spring is very fickle. Many years we don’t get more than a week of 70’s before the 80+ heat hits. This year I sprained and broke my ankle right at the end of winter, so I completely missed out on the outside spring weather except for sitting on our patio. Fall is also nice, but I can’t help getting gloomy knowing winter is coming. As much as I don’t mind being hot, and I walk everyday in hot weather without problems, I don’t like mosquitoes, which NC has in abundance in summer.
So I guess I’d vote for spring. It’s warming up and things are growing.
Right now I’m being serenaded by the love song of the 17 year Brood X cicadas. They have crawled out of the ground, climbed up my trees, and are mating in the leaves. They’ll lay their eggs and then fly around some before they die off in a couple weeks. The eggs will burrow into the ground and live in peace for the next 17 years until the cycle starts again. It’s pretty romantic when you think about it, so I guess the cicadas vote for Spring. I would vote for Fall myself. The air is crisper then and the scenery is just as lovely as Spring. Summer here can be brutal because of the heat and humidity, which would make romance a sweaty business. Winter is cold but good for cuddling. I’m not sure Romance has a season. I like to think that Romance will find you when you least expect it.
Hah – I wish I lived somewhere that had easily defined seasons. In the UK we have:
Winter: Cold, wet, windy
Spring: Cold, wet, windy
Summer: Not quite so cold, wet,muggy, windy with a few days of ridiculously high temperatures which make life hell in a country that doesn’t routinely have air con.
Autumn: Cold, wet windy.
This year, Spring seems to have passed us by: I’m sitting looking out into the garden, listening to the wind whistling; the temperature has only just made it into double figures (C), it’s rained every day this week and the central heating still comes on in the mornings.
I like whichever season gives me the most sunshine. And in this country, that isn’t always summer.
Ugh.
Yep. It’s why we Brits are so obsessed with the weather. It’s so unpredictable that it’s impossible to plan outdoor activities in the summer with any confidence they won’t be rained off. I’m going to Scotland on holiday (in August) this year, as the situation with international travel is so uncertain – I shall be packing warm clothes and waterproofs!
It’s always what you don’t have. It can be so hot and humid here in the summer that, in July, we long for cool rainy weather!
Summer last year, Caz, was pretty good and made lockdown just about tolerable!