I was thinking about this a few weeks ago, as August abruptly ended with the first day of school on September 1. (That’s the way they do it out here in Alberta, apparently.)

September is not my favourite month; I am a much bigger fan of the three months that precede it. And that got me to thinking: How would I rank the months of the year?

So, here’s my top 10 months –  from favourite to not so favourite:

#1 is June – My top month by far. In most places I’ve lived (like Toronto), the weather is the best in June. You get the warm days of summer without the worst of the humidity. The birthdays of most of my immediate family growing up were in June: me on the 26th, my mom on the 14th, my brother on the 7th and my maternal grandmother on the 3rd. For these reasons, I will never stop loving the month of June.

#2 is July – The streak of birthdays and important celebrations has extended into July in my married with family life. I married LAP on the 2nd and she birthed the twins on the 3rd. Sandwiched between the birthdays of my home and native land and our star-spangled neighbours, July gets off to a celebratory start and doesn’t quit.

#3 is May – How can you not love spring. The snow is long-gone (Edmontonians, plug your ears) and April’s showers have been transformed into May’s flowers. And all the while, there is the promise of the summer ahead – 120 of the longest days of the year, full of sunshine and warmth and outdoor fun.

#4 is August – It can get a bit melancholy towards the end of the summer. The opposite of May, really. Those 120 long sun-filled days are behind you now and the shortest days lie ahead. As a kid, I can recall starting to  feel bored with the summer’s lack of structure in August, as the return to school and friends approached. But it’s still up there, as far as months go.

#5 is October – And I really struggled with this one. Should it be above August? I mean, it’s starting to get cool, but it’s fresh and crisp and colourful. If you like autumn, this is the month to enjoy it. Problem is, I’m more of a spring and summer guy, evidenced above. And Halloween has never been my favourite consumer holiday.

#6 is December – I have to confess  lingering affection for December that goes way back, deep into my childhood experience of the Christmas season. Being raised as a Liberal Jew in the 1970s, my parents were torn about how to deal with Christmas. My mother had converted to Judaism (at the insistence of my father’s mother) and I think she still harboured a desire to make Christmas a warm family experience for us – and she did just that. As an adult, I find “the whole Christmas thing” a bit much. But inside, I am still programmed to seek deeper connections with people I love at this time of year. A legacy of my dear, loving mom that I refuse to turn my back on.

#7 is April – Spring is sprung (Edmontonians, plug your ears again) and the grass has ris’. Still too brown and wet for making my top 5, but signs of life are on the horizon. Also, April is usually the month in which Passover falls and that’s my favourite Jewish holiday in the calendar. April hold promises of freedom from winter’s narrow, enclosed places.

November is #8 – Now we’re getting to the bottom of the barrel. November can have its moments of glory, but it’s between October and December – both of which have more redeeming qualities. And here in Edmonton, the snow has more than likely already arrived.

March is #9 – Tough month. A full 31 days of dead-on winter. By this time, I’m usually pretty fed up with the whole winter and snow and sub-zero temperature thing. If I can get away for a warm vacation, this is the month to do so.

January is #10 – The holiday season is over and and the year changes – reminding me that I ain’t getting any younger. Months of winter lie ahead. I think, maybe this year I should take up cross-country skiing – really embrace the whole winter thing.

September doesn’t even make my list. I didn’t realize how much I don’t like it as a month.

And February…who really likes February?