‘Twas the night before Nov. 1, all the pumpkins were still out, and as soon as the clock struck 12 a.m. you could hear jingling about. Rudolph and large white-bearded men began popping out right left, so I couldn’t help but wonder- had there been a theft?

Yes. The answer is yes, there was a theft. Every year as soon as November rolls around, all you hear is sleigh bells jingling and ring ting tingling too, but by skipping all of November, you’re stealing from yourself. There are a number of holidays and festivities you miss out on when you go from Halloween straight to Christmas.

One thing you’re missing by ignoring Nov. 1 through Dec. 23, is fall. Good old autumn lasts from Sept. 23 till Dec. 21. Surprised, aren’t you? Don’t feel too inferior, I was surprised too. Fall is not only the most popular season among Americans (according to Gallup), but it is also super-duper pretty and smells good. There’s so much to do in and around D.C. in the fall. The fall season brings us the free fall concert series at the National Gallery of Art where musicians play beautiful pieces in the East building of the National Gallery. You can also go apple picking in one of the 19 apple picking farms across M.D. You can’t get those quality apples you yearn for during the holiday season.

Another thing people miss out on during their extended holiday seasons are the copious number of holidays. Nov. 22 may just sound like another day closer to Christmas, but answer me this: Have you ever wanted to start your own country? If you’re like the rest of us, the only answer to that question is yes. Well Nov. 22 was deemed National Start Your Own Country day as an honor to the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. You’re welcome.

With 89 million visitors a year, France is the most visited country in the world. With 58 percent of the country loving it, toast is a very popular breakfast food. What do you get when you put them together? French Toast. Nov. 28 marks National French Toast Day. Toast has come a long way since 1893, when a Scotsman named Alan McMasters first tossed some bread into a fire. Toast has evolved in American’s lives into a staple breakfast food and a delectable cereal.

There’s so much to do and be aware of in the Fall months, it’s a shame to skip it for what is one of the coldest days of the year. So the next time you want to replace your spiderwebs with ornaments on Nov. 1, don’t.