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Parenting

Dear America, It’s Time to Dial Down the Pumpkin Spice Obsession

I’ll never forget the first time a pumpkin spice latte hit my lipglossed lips. Somewhere a tree spontaneously burst into orange, dropped its leaves, and shivered in ecstasy. The PSL has become our country’s entry into autumn, a harbinger of crisper weather and cinnamon swirls.

And then I moved to Georgia, where it’s often still 97 degrees outside when we taste our first annual pumpkin spice nectar of the gods. But the pumpkin spice beckons, and we do what we must to enjoy it, with air conditioning a-blasting and ceiling fans a-twirling.

I’ve tried several different ways of enjoying this beverage come September. First, I donned boots and jeans, determined to go Full Fall and embrace the season, even if it hadn’t caught up to our area yet. With sweat pouring down my torso I sipped the beverage and mustered up a feeble, “Mmm,” feeling overcome in desperation for a popsicle and a body-sized freezer. I experienced my first Pumpkin Spice Hot Flash, on sale now at participating Starbucks.

The next time, I thought I knew better. I went with tank top, shorts, and boots – boots because fall, and shorts because Georgia, and this was not my first rodeo. My knees appreciated the extra breeze but my insides still heated to boiling as I poured the evil beverage down my sweating throat.

Sorry, PSL, it’s not you. It’s the weather.

After awhile I started seeing other items crop up seasoned with pumpkin spice, which seemed like a welcome addition to our fall food smorgasbord. When the rest of the country is enjoying piping hot lattes, why shouldn’t we enjoy our pumpkin spice ice cream?

But it’s getting out of hand. Click to keep reading.

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