???? Like the majority of you — 47% to be exact — fall’s my favorite season. ???? 

I love everything about it. Or at least the fantasy of fall. Since I live in Texas, I fantasize about warm colors of fall foliage and leaves falling without the reality of raking and bagging them.

Our fall crisp air usually appears between the end of October and the middle of November here. It allows us to pretend it’s chilly enough to wear boots, hats and the occasional scarf — even if we still need our AC on during the day.

One of the things on my bucket list is to live where I can embrace all of the fall smile starters — falling leaves, crisper air, and cooler temps, sweaters, fall festivals, hats, apple orchards and actually needing the heat from a fireplace.

But enough about my fall dreams

Many of you participated in our Fall Smile Starter survey, so thank you.

We want to continue our theme of recognizing the people and things that start our smiles. Our goal is to recognize One Million Smile Starters — the two-legged people kind or even four-legged furry people kind.

You can become a Smile Starter Presenter (we have free award certificates and some really cool swag gifts too).

But back to the Fall Smile Starter survey results. My biggest surprise

• Pumpkin-flavored foods ranked #15 @ 33%
• Football season ranked #16 @ 31%.

I really thought pumpkin-flavored foods would be in the top 10 based on grocery store endcaps filled with pumpkin-flavored everything, and restaurants touting their pumpkin-flavored foods and drinks.

And with football season, literally, just kicking off, I’m astonished that didn’t score better as well.

No worries though!! I expanded the list from an anticipated top 10 to the top 16 to include their rankings, because they are part of our smile-starting fall culture.

Here are some of our survey results not on the graph:

• 10% of you like all of the seasons
• Only 8% picked back to school – which was the least favorite Fall Smile Starter
• 25% are anticipating pumpkin carving

Another interesting note is fall drink smile starters — or at least for a Texas girl where apples aren’t really known for being the fall fruit…

• 35% favor apple cider – Double hot pumpkin-flavored drinks at 17%
• 13% enjoy hot mulled wine
• 9% look forward to sparkling apple wine

Overall, it seems the top Fall Smile Starters center around fall colors, smells, temps, foods and spending time with friends and family.

Basically, we want to have fun with people and eat well while enjoying mother nature’s cooler temps and colors  

I was happily surprised that chili, one of my fall favorites, ranked at 38%, made the top 12 Smile Starter List — I’m already anticipating the first fall temps so I can make my first batch of the season.

This survey also introduced me to a fall superstition: It’s good luck to catch a fall leaf before it hits the ground.

Apparently, this is harder to do than you think, but I really want to try. If you do it, let me know if you can catch a leaf — and catch one for me, because you can’t have too much good luck

However, I think that this survey-taker summarized our Fall Smile Starters best:

“Fall is the best!” I love the cooler temps, new fall TV premieres, back to school, fall foliage and the start of the season leading into Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. P.S. Of course, Hallmark movies too!”

This fall season, consider keeping a journal of all of the things that start smiles for you each day. Then tally them up at the end of each day, week and month. How many of your smiles started because it was one of your favorite seasons?

Fall is nature’s gift that touches our hearts so we smile a little more.

“I notice that autumn is more season of the soul than of nature.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche