Throughout all of human history, one debate has raged on with no end in sight: which is the best of the four seasons of the year? And, by contrast, which season is the worst?
Every season is special in its own way, but considering weather, holidays and overall vibes, which season comes out on top?
Here is my official ranking of the four seasons of the year.
Last place: Spring
Spring isn’t in last place because it’s a bad season, it just has the least going for it. It lacks the flair of the other three seasons (we’ll get to that later), and its most significant holiday is likely Easter: a fair contender, to be sure; but it lacks the gravitas of other holidays like Halloween and Christmas. Hunting eggs was fun as a child, but I’m a grown man now, and I’d likely get dirty looks if I tried to join the neighbourhood’s local Egg Hunt.
Plus, spring is usually a rainy season in Ontario, so unless you like running to the bus stop drenched in rainwater or getting your shoes muddy on the way home, this season probably isn’t the best for you. It’s nice that spring brings back the flowers and greenery after the long, cold winter, but it’s a shame that there’s not too much of an opportunity to enjoy it during this rainy, grey season.
It’s fun to think of spring as the season of growth and greenery, but in a practical sense, it’s preferable to just wait until summer to enjoy it for real. Speaking of which…
Third place: Summer
Summer is a season significantly boosted by the available outdoor activities and lack of school. It’s the only season where you can comfortably and reasonably go outside for a swim, play a game of pickleball in the middle of the day and go out for ice cream on the beach — all without the stress of homework and classes. It’s the best time to go on vacation or perhaps on a camping trip, and is a great time for making memories with friends.
Unfortunately, the temperature and climate of the season sucks big-time. Every year it gets increasingly hotter, and often requires you to slather your skin in sunscreen or bug spray. It can become disgustingly hot outside, and despite the aforementioned activities, it’s often more comfortable to sit inside in the air conditioning than venture out into the heat.
If it weren’t for school being out and the plethora of activities available, summer would easily be in last place — but in reality, this season has enough going for it to grab the third-place ranking on this list.
Second place: Fall
I’m aware that half of this article’s readers just stopped reading after seeing fall in second place, so if you’re still here, I appreciate it.
Fall really is a fantastic season. It brings beautiful colours to the trees and a light breeze that makes you want to go outside as much as possible. The crunching of bright red leaves under your feet is satisfying and fun, and it’s a great season for photo-taking opportunities.
Fall also brings pumpkin spice back in all its glory, as well as Dairy Queen’s phenomenal Pumpkin Pie Blizzard. The flavours of this season are truly unmatched. The season also gives us two wonderful holidays, Thanksgiving and Halloween, which are great moments to spend with your family and friends. Forget what I said earlier about being a grown man — dressing up on Halloween is always fun and a timeless tradition no matter your age.
Indeed, there isn’t much that’s bad about fall, and it’s easy to see why it ends up on the top of so many seasonal rankings. Sadly, though, all of these lists are wrong because they forgot about one important thing.
First place: Winter
Ah, winter. You’ve always been the greatest season, and as hard as they might try, no one can take that from you. The only thing more beautiful than trees in bright red colours are trees covered in a blanket of white, sparkly snow.
Winter gives us snow, inarguably the best weather. As snow falls from the cloudy sky, opportunity comes with it: this is the only season that allows for snowball fights, building snow forts and igloos, snow angels and snow cones. After you’re done playing outside, you can go inside to a steaming mug of hot chocolate and get toasty under a blanket, watching the snow fall as you read a book or play a game.
Winter also brings a plethora of holidays, including Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, and it’s wonderful to see the world lit up in colourful lights as the spirit of joy and giving spreads across the nation. It’s a wonderful time to reconnect with family after a stressful semester and enjoy fun traditions and memories that you’ll never forget.
Winter isn’t just a good season — it’s the best season, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
