This has been a miserable fall.For most of October, I’ve felt a lot like one of the kids in Ray Bradbury’s short story “All Summer in a Day,” in which people live on Venus and are able to see the sun for one hour every seven years. When the sun comes out, they’re able to leave their underground habitats for an hour to soak up the sun before it disappears again into the rain-soaked skies.

It’s felt a lot like that.

This past September, Philadelphia had already reached its annual average rainfall total. So, everything we’ve gotten this past October has been a “bonus.” And it’s been a plentiful bonus. Everything is wet all the time. Nearly every wooden door in the region is so swollen with moisture, they don’t shut properly. In the soccer league I coach, we’ve had more matches cancelled than we’ve played.

As the holidays approach, we can only hope the constant rainy weekends become a thing of the past. There are some things to look forward to. Here are a few things that might help you get beyond the wet weather.

Kids Edition

First, I’d like to point out that we have this week a really great Kids Edition – our annual collection of student art work and writing. This year we were able to dedicate extra pages to the section to collect as much as we possibly could into its six pages.

As usual, we received far more submissions than we could possibly print. There were many great drawings and poems for which we just didn’t have space. Stay tuned to our website for an expanded display of artwork that will include what we didn’t have print space for. Thanks to all who submitted their work.

Holidays on the Hill

With the remains of Halloween decorations and candy still at most homes, it may be difficult to begin thinking about the holidays, but the first marker of the season in Chestnut Hill is right around the corner.

First, the neighborhood’s annual “Circle of Trees” at the Woodmere Art Museum, will take place on Saturday, Nov. 17. The event is a great place for kids, who will get to see Santa ride in on a vintage firetruck to light up holiday trees. There will be treats and music, too.

Then the neighborhood shopping season will start up again with the Avenue’s “Stag and Doe Nights,” a month-long Chestnut Hill tradition in which shops stay open from 6 to 9 p.m. on Every Wednesday from Nov. 28 through Dec. 19. Germantown Avenue becomes a rolling holiday party with carolers, food and music. It’s an opportunity for residents to give their local economy a boost by shopping locally.

So there are reasons not to sink into the despair of an autumnal bout of seasonal affective disorder. Here’s hoping we get a reprieve from this ridiculously soggy season in the near future.

Pete Mazzaccaro