November is a tough month no two ways about it.  But don’t take my word for it listen to what the famous nineteenth century novelist Louisa May Alcott had to say about it:

“November is the most disagreeable month of the year.” 

Or the lyrics folk singer Gordon Lightfoot once took to the top of the Billboard Charts:

“The Lake it is said, never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy”

Or the words of the late legendary NFL Films narrater John Facenda

“November can be cold and gray, November can be surly, with bitter winds that greet the world with Winter coming early”

Psychologically November is no April.  Its like the Monday of winter.  Leaves turn brown.  Its no longer fun to be outside.  Hats and gloves come out, heating bills go up.  Garages need to be cleared to make room for cars again.  School kids get their first report cards.  Daylights savings makes the afternoons darker.  Companies usually lay people off in November.

In fact November is so bad that we elect our Presidents this month but tell them they don’t have to work yet.  I guess its not fair to make them start this month.

As far as weather goes, in most parts of the country November is like that Rottweiler puppy whose now grown big enough to really hurt someone.

For these reasons and a few others I’ve never been a big fan of November.  Its a transition month in the wrong direction.   I’ve always gotten through this month by watching a lot of football.  If you don’t like football I can only imagine how dreary November probably seems. 

Sorry about all this, I’m really not that tough on the other months of the year.  I’m just a November grump that’s all.  Everybody has their least favorite.  For a lot of people its the brutal winter months of January and February.  Some can’t stand the heat of July and August and of course the kids don’t really look all that forward to September.  I’ve even met teachers and professors with a love for their work who dread June.  Strange but true.

I’m usually over my November crankiness by Thanksgiving when all that Holiday cheer starts to sink in.  So I view November sort of like how a lot of parents these days view middle school for their children.  Something not necessarily to be enjoyed but endured.

Please don’t extrapolate my sentiment here about this turkey of a month for the rest of the year.  I’m a huge fan of all three summer months plus their bookends of May and September.  I actually like winter in its purest sense, its got that snow thing going for it plus you have the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl.  Who doesn’t like springtime and of course March Madness speaks for itself.  Sorry November, you’re the odd one out. 

I really have no answers to the November blues accept to reassure any of you out there who might feel as I do that misery appreciates company and we’re all in this month together.  That’s the great thing about our calendar, unlike other areas of life nobody gets bailed out by the government on this one.  Even Wall Street has to sit back and take November with the rest of us.  We need not unnecessarily praise nor burry this month.  In the scheme of things thirty days is not all that long.  So don’t force the love for November if it’s not there. Eleven out of twelve ain’t bad.