Every September, as the maple outside her window turned from deep green to a hesitant gold, Clara would open her style guide. And every year, the answer was the same. The Chicago Manual of Style said: no. Seasons are common nouns. Spring, summer, autumn, winter—lowercase unless personified or part of a proper noun.
Clara opened her mouth to explain grammar, but something stopped her. She looked at the drawing again. The capital A stood there, bold and bright, like a tiny crown on the season’s head. should autumn be capitalized
The unease began one October evening when her nephew, Leo, handed her a drawing. He was seven, with jam on his chin and a fierce sense of wonder. The drawing showed a lopsided tree with orange and red crayon scribbles, and beneath it, in wobbly letters: My Frend Autumn. Every September, as the maple outside her window
And that, she decided, was the only rule that mattered. Seasons are common nouns
P.S. I am capitalizing Autumn from now on. You can fire me if you like. But I suspect Autumn will still arrive, with or without your permission, and she will still be magnificent.