Ranking the Months

December has arrived and didn’t waste any time bringing it’s freezing cold temperature along with it, at least in Atlanta. As I woke up freezing cold, I saw the date on my phone: 12/1/09 and I started thinking about what all December holds in store for me. I decided that there was only one thing left to do: create a ranked list of the best months of the year. I ranked the months using three main criteria: holidays, sports, and overall other attributes. (Note: I use the term “sports” loosely with a few of the events, but you get the point)

#1 OCTOBER
Perfect weather: not too hot, not too cold. I actually get to turn my heat/AC off too so I save a few bucks on the power bill which is a nice extra bonus. Somedays I get to wear shorts, others I get to wear a hoodie (my favorite clothing item, so comfortable). October is the basically the best of all worlds. The clear cut #1 month in my book.

Holidays: My favorite night of the year is in October: Halloween. There is no better night of the year to go out to a bar. You end up talking to almost everyone at the bar and taking pictures with strangers, its just a fun night. And who doesn’t love discounted candy? If Halloween doesn’t do it for you, maybe Columbus Day will.

Sports: Football in full swing, the NBA and NHL both start, you have college basketball midnight madness, and of course baseball playoffs. Easily, 100%, hands down, inarguably the greatest month for sports. This month has something great to offer a fan of just about any sport. There’s only one October….each year anyways.

#2 SEPTEMBER
I can't even think what I want to say about September, all I can think about at this point is that football is here! And yeah, beautiful weather. But FOOTBALL!

Holidays: We get a much appreciated long weekend with Labor Day. Cookouts, pool parties and consistently being able to wear shorts come to an end during September. And don’t forget to put those white pants away.

Sports: Finally! Football arrives, real football! No more preseason rankings (college) and training camp drama, we get to watch actual games on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, YESSSSSSSS! We also can get somewhat excited about baseball again with the final stretch of the regular season. And for racing fans, the NASCAR Chase begins. I don’t know what else to say about that.

#3 JUNE
June is always a good month to take a vacation which automatically moves it way up the list. You are guaranteed some beautiful weather.

Holidays: Father’s Day is always an enjoyable way to spend some quality time with the family. If you aren’t all partied out from Father’s Day, you can really have a blow out on Flag Day (182nd best drinking day of the year).

Sports: NBA finals and the Stanley Cup, not bad. Also we wrap up the Triple Crown with Belmont (most fun I’ve ever had in Vegas was watching Big Brown lay an egg against a huge money line in the ’08 Belmont race, cha-ching!). And get out your cream and berries because the first must see tennis tourney of the year, Wimbledon, beings. Baseball fans continue to see MLB action along with the College Baseball World Series.


#4 NOVEMBER
Food and football are what make November what it is. I know this is basically looking into the next to criteria, but we have to look at the month as a whole, and the theme of November is food and football. Nice weather too, for the most part. The leaves changing colors is a nice touch until the go brown and fall all over the ground. There is nothing better than sitting on the couch and watching three straight football games and a basketball game while trying to guess how many pounds of food you just ate.

Holidays: I’ve already hit on Thanksgiving, which is usually a nice short week at work. For those of us who work in the financial world, we get another little break in Veteran’s Day. Also a great day to be thankful for what you have as well as the sacrifices others make so you can sit at home and get fat while watching sports. Thanks Vets!!!!!

Sports: again, touched on football and basketball. Also we get to celebrate the end of NASCAR, I’m thankful that it no longer occupies time on Sportscenter. Although I couldn’t bring myself to watch this year due to hating both teams, the World Series is now played in early November. I think its ridiculous that the season goes this long, but hey, more to be thankful for during November.

#5 DECEMBER

December is definitely scoring some points for days off of work (even if you aren’t given holidays, people usually take off anyway). People are generally more friendly during this time of year too.

Holidays: Christmas and New Year’s Eve- both fun and enjoyable for obvious reasons. December never offers a reason to slack off on having a good time.

Sports: we have the NBA, NHL and NFL in full swing. It’s the key stretch for NFL teams who are hoping to make the playoffs, so we usually get some good football. We also get college football championship games and the start of bowl season toward the end of December. The majority of the good bowl games are played in January, but we get at least a few decent matchups before year’s end.

#6 MARCH
The weather starts getting a little more bearable in March, although I think it snowed in Atlanta last year during March. Can’t beat drinking green beer and the leaves starting to come back on trees.

Holidays: St. Patrick’s Day is always a good time. Sometimes Easter? That’s all I could really come up with. Unless you’re in school and still get a spring break, in which case I hate you.

Sports: March Madness is really the highlight of the month. Fire up the office pools! Nothing will beat the time I was at work and the entire server shut itself down because too many people were streaming the games online- you know it’s a good event when that happens. Also we have the start of the very long NBA and NHL playoffs, but those are both marathons.

#7 JULY
Pool parties, cookouts, crazy heat, sun burns, and an indescribable itch for football are things that come to mind when I think about July. Its usually at this point in the year where I bust out old Madden or College Football games and update the rosters and act like its current, even though I know its not. The new games usually come out later in the month which helps, but I’m jonesing bad for some football in July.

Holidays: Independence Day is definitely one of the better holidays throughout the year. Not only do most people get the day off, you get a combination of patriotism, overeating/drinking,

and explosions! What could possibly be better than that?!

Sports: The MLB All-Star Weekend is a good watch. We also get the finals at Wimbledon, the Tour de France, and the British Open. Great month for international sports as well as America’s favorite pastime.


#8 MAY
May flowers, ahhhhhhh. Probably the 2nd best month of the year as far as weather goes. The temperature is just right and the pollen has usually cleared. Its amazing the effect weather has on your mood, I just find myself usually happy in May for some reason.

Holidays: We are treated to a nice long weekend for Memorial Day, perfect time for a beach trip. We also get to spend some quality time with mom for Mother’s Day. Anytime I can make my mom feel special is a good day for me.

Sports: The NBA playoffs are booming in May. Fans of the ponies are treated to the Kentucky Derby and Preakness; both are always fun to watch. Auto racing fans also get to enjoy the Indy 500. MLB is at full speed too, not a bad month for sports fans.

#9 APRIL
Time to bust out the shorts and t-shirts again once April arrives. The weather is nice, definitely able to start hosting cookouts by this point. Although, there is that whole rhyme about April showers, so don’t get too excited about perfect weather just yet. Also, pollen can be really annoying. You’re losing points for pollen, April!

Holidays: Sometimes Easter and Earth Day, not the greatest month for Holidays. If the government was serious about going green they should look into making Earth day a national holiday, don’t you think?

Sports: America’s favorite pastime kicks off its regular season in April. We also get to see The Masters, which is the one must watch golf tournament of the year for me (even though I end up watching several others- I always catch the Masters). We also have the ever-changing event known as the NFL draft. This year the first round is on a Thursday night, 2nd and 3rd rounds are on Friday and the remaining rounds are on Saturday. Good ‘ol Roger likes to mix things up.

#10 JANUARY
Not a bad month, although it starts getting way too cold for my liking. There is still enough positive stuff during the month to put it too low on the list due to awful weather.

Holidays: New Year’s Day and MLK Day, two days off of work, thank you very much. New Year’s Day is reserved for watching football and nursing hangovers while MLK day is usually just spent nursing hangovers, no football that day.

Sports: Not a bad sports month since we get the college football bowl games and the NFL playoffs. The NBA and NHL are still in full swing as well. But, here’s the kicker: WWE Royal Rumble! How can you not love the Royal Rumble? It is the one wrestling event that I won’t miss every year, and usually the only pay per view I buy all year (unless there is a can’t miss boxing match or something, but even those don’t compare to the Rumble). There is nothing more amusing than watching a living room full of people who are gambling on a fake wrestling match screaming “FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!” every couple of minutes in anticipation of who is coming out next, only to have the guy who drew The Miz shake his head in shame after realizing that his hopes of winning the Rumble pool are in shambles.


#11 FEBRUARY
Cold. Freezing cold. Not good. A month can’t hurt itself any worse than being miserably cold. However, we do have one of the biggest sporting events of the year, as well as my birthday and Mardi Gras. February definitely overcame its awful temperatures with a slew of exciting events.

Holidays: One of the year’s greatest consumer holidays, Valentine’s Day, highlights the month. Although I’m not a big fan, Valentine’s Day is usually very popular for women who are typically treated to nice dinners, flowers, candy and expensive gifts. Men usually get a bottle of cologne and a nice huge credit card balance. I’m scoring V-Day for the ladies. Also, if you are lucky enough to get it, February offers the President’s Day holiday which allows for a nice long weekend. And if you want to get picky, Groundhog’s Day is also in February.

Sports: the Superbowl, doesn’t get any bigger than that. We also get the NBA All-star Game as well as the NHL All-star Game, both entertaining weekends. If you’re into racing (…..anyone?) the Daytona 500 is your bright spot here. Also not included in the sporting events, though it should be, is the Mardi Gras beer funneling competition.


#12 AUGUST
August is the only month of the year without a notable holiday. It basically lacks an identity and doesn’t have anything major to look forward to, other than school starting back up (which means college football is on the way!).

Sports: Basically limited to MLB during August but we do get the start of NFL training camp and the US Tennis Open. By this point in the baseball season, I’m far more interested in preseason NFL games than any baseball games. Shorten the season already!


There you have it. October wins the month of the year award and August is in the dog house. Let’s hear how you rank the months in the comments section. If you don’t have any input I’ll just assume you agree with my flawless rankings.

Quick note to women: do NOT have your wedding during football season. Seriously. Do us all a favor and have it in August or April when we are bored. If you have any questions regarding scheduling a wedding around a sporting event, feel free to give me a call. Consultations are free.

Only 10 months until next October….