It’s Labour Day and for millions around the world, this means only one thing.
The kids go back to school tomorrow!
It’s been several years now since my boys were starting school in the fall but even before I was a Dad, I always felt this was more like a New Year than January was.
After thinking to myself about why September seems so much more like the start of a new year, I place a lot of stock in the fact I live in an area that has all four seasons. In fact, one of the most notable things about the start of school is the weather change we experience between the third week of August and the second week of September.
This weather change also means when we go clothes shopping for back to school, we are buying a new season’s wardrobe. We go from buying summer tees to fall favorites in one week up here. Suddenly and without warning the mornings and evenings are crisp and fresh. January mornings have the excitement of not knowing if the weather will double your travel time to work.
September also means the new season of football and hockey. Again, a fresh start, a new hope permeates every NFL and NHL fan in September. A time when even the fan of the weakest team can still have hope. Conversely, by January the team has already been out of the playoffs for weeks.
Most of all though I am excited about the change that this time of year brings to all matter of things that just don’t exist at any other time of year.
- Labour Day is celebrated with a full weekend, not just a single day.
- It’s not going to snow on Labour Day.
- Nobody gets the “blahs’ two weeks after Labour Day.
- People are making academic resolutions not stumbling around looking for hangover solutions.
- The leaves start to turn all kinds of beautiful colours in September while that lovely white dusting of snow is now brown sludge and salts all over your footwear.
- People don’t stress about having a date for Labour Day.
- Labour Day signals the start of the NHL, NBA and NHL seasons,
Finally, to summarize Labour Day is the start of something new and ironically New Year’s Day is just a day off. So on this Labour Day, I wish everyone a happy new year.
