You see the trees go bare in late October, the color gone, the air damp and honest. Locals in Vermont just call it stick season — that quiet, gray stretch when the leaves have dropped and snow hasn’t committed yet. If you discovered the phrase through Noah Kahan, you’re not wrong to feel something bigger there. It is a landscape, but it’s also a mood. Let’s unpack what it actually means, where it comes from, and how to wear it like you get the reference.
- Stick season is Vermont slang for the bare-tree window after peak foliage and before real winter snow.
- It's not mud season — stick season is late fall's gray stillness; mud season is spring's thaw.
- Noah Kahan turned the phrase into shorthand for feeling stuck, nostalgic, and homesick.
- The best way to wear it: warm, earthy layers with embroidered details that nod to the insider meaning.
The Vermont Definition Most People Miss
Stick season is the bare-branched stretch in Vermont and northern New England after peak fall color drops and before consistent snow arrives — when only the sticks are left.
In Vermont, we talk about seasons with more nuance than four. Stick season is that in-between where the maples and birches are skeletal, the hills look soft and brown, and the light goes flat. It’s chilly, often damp, and very quiet. Tourists are gone, the foliage crowds have left, and locals are stacking wood and waiting for the first real snowfall.
It’s not an insult to the landscape. It’s a term of endearment and endurance. If you’ve ever driven Route 100 in early November, you know the feeling — beautiful in a stark way, a little lonely, deeply New England. That visual is the literal meaning, and it’s the anchor for everything else the phrase has come to carry.
- When it happens: after leaf drop, before the ground stays white — that late-fall shoulder
- What it looks like: bare branches, gray skies, brown fields, early frost on the grass
- How it feels: quiet, transitional, a little restless — summer is over, winter hasn’t started
If a Vermonter says ‘it’s stick season,’ they usually mean dress in layers, roads are clear but mornings are raw, and everything feels paused. It’s practical and poetic at once.
Before You Confuse It With Mud Season
Stick season and mud season are different shoulder seasons — stick season is late fall’s gray, leaf-less chill, while mud season is early spring’s thaw and impassable dirt roads.
Visitors mix these up all the time, and Vermonters will gently correct you. Both are in-between seasons, but they sit on opposite sides of winter and feel completely different to live through.
| Season | Timing | Landscape | Vibe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stick Season | Late fall, post-foliage to early snow | Bare trees, dry leaves on ground, frost | Still, stark, reflective |
| Mud Season | Late winter to early spring thaw | Melting snow, soft ground, rutted dirt roads | Messy, hopeful, slow-moving |
Stick season vs. mud season at a glance
Think of stick season as the holding of breath before winter, and mud season as the long exhale toward spring. If you’re shopping or gifting around this theme, stick season leans cozy and nostalgic — flannels, soft fleece, and warm neutrals — while mud season is pure practicality. For gifts, stick season is far more wearable and giftable, because the palette and mood translate so well to everyday layers.
Why Noah Kahan Turned a Gray Month Into a Feeling
Noah Kahan used ‘stick season’ to describe feeling stuck, restless, and homesick in that empty in-between time — which is why the phrase now resonates far beyond Vermont.
Noah Kahan grew up in Strafford, Vermont, and he writes like someone who never quite left, even when he did. He has talked about stick season as an emotional landscape — a time and place where you feel the contrast between still belonging and wanting out. The music made that very specific Vermont experience feel universal.
That’s why listeners who have never been to New England still feel seen by it. The trees are bare, the town is quiet, relationships are in flux, and you’re caught between who you were and who you’re becoming. It’s seasonal affective in one phrase, without being heavy-handed. If you’re choosing a gift for a fan, that emotional layer is what you’re really honoring — not just a place, but a state of mind.
- Nostalgia without varnish: remembering home honestly, not just idealizing it
- Feeling stuck between chapters: after the bright season, before the next thing starts
- Love for a small place: even when that love is complicated
You don’t need to quote lyrics to signal you get it. The best fan pieces hint at the reference — a bare-tree motif, an exit sign, a forest road — in a way that fellow fans recognize instantly and everyone else just sees as a well-designed, cozy sweatshirt.
How to Dress the In-Between Without Feeling Washed Out
You dress for stick season like you dress for any transitional weather — cozy layers in warm, earthy tones and soft textures that bring color back to a gray landscape.
Stick season weather is awkward. Mornings are near freezing, afternoons soften, and you live in layers. The trick is choosing textures and colors that feel like a remedy to the gray outside. Think sand, oatmeal, washed olive, faded denim, and the kind of fleece you reach for without thinking. Machine embroidery is perfect here — it adds tactile detail and color without the bulk of a heavy graphic.
If you’re comparing options, look for mid-weight fleece with a tight embroidered chest design rather than an all-over print. It holds its shape, the stitching adds a little heritage feel, and it layers cleanly under a chore coat or puffer when the temperature drops. For fans who want something that reads as true stick season merch without shouting, embroidered details win over loud prints every time.
An insider nod with a vintage exit sign motif in warm sand — cozy, neutral, and instantly recognizable to fans.
Forest-road energy with a subtle tour-inspired embroidered chest — made for layering through the whole shoulder season.
| Style | Best for | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Sand embroidered crewneck | Everyday wear & gifting | Neutral goes with everything; embroidery keeps it elevated |
| Heavier hooded fleece | Cold mornings & outdoor walks | Warmth plus a casual, lived-in shape |
| Lightweight tee with embroidery | Indoor cozy / layering | Breathable for fluctuating temps, still shows the detail |
Choosing your stick season layer
Size up if you want that relaxed, granola-girl drape for layering over thermals. Stay true to size for a neater, gift-ready fit. If you’re unsure on timing, check how long custom embroidery takes before you order — embroidered pieces need a little extra lead time.
Finding a Gift That Gets the Reference
The best stick season gift nods to the insider meaning without needing an explanation — think embroidered Vermont cues, bare-tree motifs, or lyric-inspired details fans recognize instantly.
Gifting in this niche is all about recognition. A fan doesn’t want a generic leaf sweatshirt; they want the tiny design choice that makes them say ‘you get it.’ That might be a line of bare birches, a highway exit sign, or script lettering that echoes the album art without copying it outright.
When you’re comparing, prioritize quality of embroidery over number of colors. A clean, digitized design with 3-6 thread colors in satin and fill stitch will outlast a trendy print and look more intentional. And neutral bases — sand, oatmeal, vintage white — are more giftable because they actually get worn.
Fan-favorite embroidery with a Vermont-aesthetic exit sign — subtle enough for daily wear, clear enough for fellow fans.
A mountain-town take with a bare-tree phrase detail — perfect for the friend who lives for the in-between seasons.
Add a handwritten note that names the feeling, not just the place: ‘for the in-between days.’ It turns apparel into a keepsake. If you’re building a full gift, pair the sweatshirt with a warm beanie or a tote in the same palette — let the embroidery be the hero.
Quick questions
Is stick season a real term Vermonters use?
Yes. In Vermont and northern New England, locals use stick season to describe the late-fall window after leaves fall and before snow sticks — when the trees are just bare sticks.
Is stick season the same as stick season (album)?
The album borrows the local phrase. Noah Kahan uses it both literally (the Vermont landscape) and emotionally (feeling stuck between seasons of life).
When is stick season?
Generally late October through late November into early December, depending on the year and elevation — after peak foliage, before consistent winter snow.
What should I wear during stick season?
Layered, cozy neutrals that add warmth to a gray landscape — mid-weight embroidered sweatshirts, flannels, and soft fleece you can wear indoors and out.
