Falling for Fall
It’s October First, and that means a couple things. I’m listening to my Halloween playlist while typing this out. I’ve got my candle stash ready for the cozy season. My blankets have been taken down from the top shelf and placed besides my bed for the upcoming Seattle chilly nights. I’ve done my first seasonal pumpkin bake while watching the first episode of the new Great British Baking show season. I’ve even bought one of those “pumpkin pals” and placed it besides my apartment door so everyone who enters knows just how obsessed I am with this time of year. In other words, it’s the official beginning of fall.
Okay, I know that the beginning of fall was technically September 23rd, or the Autumn Equinox. But I’m one of those people who believes in the unofficial transition of the seasons. Fall comes around once you catch yourself saying “why’s it getting dark so early” and once you find yourself loading 50% of your sweatshirts into your laundry hamper every week. It sneaks up on you, and there’s really no need to wait to do fun fall things until a specific date – kind of like how I get to listen to my Christmas music playlist in August, even though the holidays are half a year away and I’m Jewish.
Now that it’s Autumn – or at the very least, it is in my book – I thought I would share some of my seasonal favorites, in a similar fashion to what I did last year during the winter holidays (you know, that blackout period in December when you never know what day it is?). If you want to read that blog, click here. Otherwise, here are some things that make ME fall in love with fall. I hope they get you in the spirit of the season too😊
1.) The Foliage!
I recently learned that there is a $400 million industry in fall foliage and weirdly enough, its called “leaf peeping”. I won’t dignify that with any respect as a name, but I will say that whether you’re lucky enough to live in New England or not, every part of the country get access to some pretty beautiful views as the leaves change color. Go on a road trip or take a day trip to your local arboretum / garden and allow yourself to thrive in the beauty.
2.) The Movies!
I’m a bit of a hypocrite because I haven’t even close to seen them all, but October brings with it movies and shows of every kind: thrillers, horror movies I will never be brave enough to watch, romantic comedies, and sitcoms. There are so many to love but here are a few of the classics:
-Hocus Pocus (the holy grail of Halloween movies)
-Halloweentown
-The Nightmare Before Christmas
-Twitches / Twitches 2
-When Harry Met Sally
-New Girl (just gives me Fall vibes, can’t describe it)
-Gossip Girl (you know, just for that impeccable Thanksgiving scene)
-Friends
-The Haunted Mansion
-Coraline (Though full disclosure, I still have trauma from watching this 10 years ago)
-The Addams Family
-Great British Bake Off
-Twilight (the entire series of course)
-Vampire Diaries
-The Shining
-Get Out
-Us
-Trick ‘R Treat
-Dead Poet’s Society
-Mrs. Doubtfire
-You’ve Got Mail
-Harry Potter (again , the whole thing)
-Legally Blonde
-The Blind Side
3.) The Pumpkin Patch!
Or the U-Pick apple orchard, or wherever the most socially acceptable hayride is that you can hop on as an adult without kids. Nothing screams fall like the local harvest fest, so pick out a pumpkin to take home and spend hours wandering through the corn maze to get yourself feeling the feels.
4.) The Festivities!
Going off the last one, look up fall things to do in X and do the first three things on the list. Whether it’s a Halloween party at a local bar or a district Oktoberfest, there is nothing better than joining into the festivities!
5.) The Taylor Swift songs!
This one is mostly a joke brought on by my best friend making a playlist of her music, but what I will commit to saying is that no season is more Taylor-discography coded than Fall. If you are into her music, pull out your closest scarf and listen to Red and Midnights on repeat. If you dislike her music (just admit you don’t have taste) but one search of “Autumn mix” on Spotify will set your mind at ease like it’s the “21st Night of September” (see what I did there?). Or at the very least, just play the ANT farm version of “Monster Mash” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” on repeat for the entire month – that works too.
6.) The Clothes!
Pretty self-explanatory, but even if we enjoy the heat, there’s nothing like putting on your cardigan and jeans and heading outside for the first time. I miss whipping out jackets and accessorizing with scarves and mittens – Seattle really has me in my “I love fall but can it PLEASE stop raining” era.
7.) The Ciders (or Spiced Apple cider, honestly)!
Go to an Oktoberfest or to Schilling Cider Co. if you live in Seattle, and you’ll instantly know why this made the list of a beer hater who didn’t like it in London OR Seattle. Spiced Chai ciders are where it’s at.
8.) The Haunt!
More of a joke since if you know me, you know a baby spider gives me hives – but if you’ve got as many guts as Olivia Roderigo (another bad joke) than head to the haunted houses of the world and tell as many scary stories as you can find. I will say that I’m more of a -music over the campfire- kind of girl, but there is definitely a place for the haunt during spooky season.
9.) The Fall Food!
I mean, when your holiday mascot is Thanksgiving (which I believe it is), you have simply no choice but to embrace the seasonal savory and sweet food favorites. Whether it is pumpkin pie, cream cheese cookies, or just plain old stuffing out of a bag, there are so many smells and tastes to cherish.
10.) The Pre-Freeze!
This last one is definitely more Seattle-specific, but being here has made me realize that the Seattle freeze everyone talks about intensifies as it gets colder (as the weather gets colder, so do the people I guess). But Autumn is like a pregame of sorts to everyone hibernating for the winter holidays – one of the last times people are willing to be social and share in the joy of the season with their friends and loved ones. Experiencing Fall 2022 was one of my favorite Seattle experiences to-date, and I am even more excited to see what lies in store this year.
And on that note, I think you can see just how in love with this season I really am. Fall is harvest season, spooky season, but above all, definitely a season where memories are made.
Hope this post was a treat to read and made you fall in love with fall! Don’t worry a-boo-t it, I don’t plan on ghosting any of you! I’ll be back with more puns and frightfully exciting things next week!