By: Anna Leach

Aging gold and scarlet leaves lay stacked in neat piles along the roads and in yards. Breezes that were once warm bite as girls rush across the quad, thermoses of coffee and tea in hand. It’s dark before 5 p.m. I have to scrape frost off the windshield every morning. Winter is upon us again. This season is characterized by hot chocolate, snow and various holidays. And I really do love these things. But for me, this time of the year also means I can start wearing one of my favorite things – scarves.

It started in my elementary school days, during my mom’s knitting stage. For any non- knitters out there, a scarf is one of the first things you learn how to make because it’s just one long rectangle. After noticing how much I wore the scarves she made, my mom began to use this accessory as a gift suggestion to family who wasn’t quite sure what to get that slightly bizarre second cousin.

From there, my collection snowballed. I would receive the random scarf for a birthday or Christmas, or maybe even on a whim from my family. A red pashmina and dark green scarf with little leaves joined an orange scarf with yellow elephants and a blue-green scarf dyed by a blind woman. Soon enough, my friends began to contribute as well. Madison Fitzgerald’s lavender gift with cream trim and the scarf with pastel flowers that I purchased in France assumed their positions on a white peg in my closet. All the while the number of scarves continued rising. However, I don’t think I ever would have dreamed that I’d accumulate so many.

As of Nov. 21, 2011, I have a total of 37 scarves in my arsenal, which hang on three pegs in my room. And although I’m surprised by the sheer number I have collected, I’m not unhappy about it. Maybe it’s because I have more options? However, I think it’s more likely I love my collection because each of my scarves means something different to me; I carry various memories with each. For example, my turquoise plaid scarf reminds me of my “sisters” from China and my burnt-out orange velveteen scarf makes me think of my middle school “musical” because I recieved it specifically for my costume. I associate my emerald transparent scarf with glass-bead tassles with my trip to New York City.

This is probably why I have worn a new scarf every school day of “scarf weather” thus far, although soon I’ll have to start going back through the cycle. It’s also why I like receiving new scarves (Note: I want a 4th Doctor scarf, from BBC tv show “Doctor Who” before I graduate. The original was hand-knitted and about 20 feet long and 11 inches wide.) So as much as my friends tease me about them, even though I know they secretly like them because most have said they will probably get me to at least 40 between this Christmas and my birthday, I’ll keep wearing them. Plus, they keep my neck warm. Nobody likes to freeze when they walk from the M&A Building to the Donnelly Hall, so you might as well stay cozy in style. So let the cold wind blow and the snow fall because I’m well armed for winter.