How to Get Back-to-School Excitement Without Going Back to School

For me, the real New Year was always the first day of school. September is a time of excitement and change—that is if you’re starting a new school year. For the rest of us, it’s just another month and it makes me miss the sense of possibility I've felt since I was kindergartner. I bet even back then I was laying out my first-day-of-school clothes and vowing to reinvent myself for the new academic year. No matter how far removed from school I still crave that back-to-school excitement. Here's how to fake it no matter how old you are.

By Amy Copperman

Get Yourself School Supplies

“Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” –You’ve Got Mail Tom Hanks's character just gets it. Go out and buy yourself a new notebook or Lisa Frank folder if you’re feeling nostalgic. Better yet, spend your lunch break methodically sharpening pencils with a manual sharpener for that freshly sharpened smell.