I have been talking about a lot of these activities on my blog this month, individually, so why not compile a list of them all. A lot of these things, I enjoy doing year-round, there is just something different about doing the things you love during your favorite season. Maybe it is the weather, maybe it is just my mental state, but some of these things are so much more fun during the colder months of the year.
Of course, where I am it is in the 90 degrees again! Seriously! I am sitting here sweating and it is the middle of October. I just want to change into my cozy sweaters and scarves but I guess not!
Although, have you been looking around stores lately? It is already starting to turn into Christmas! I can’t believe it. What a weird time the middle of October has become. I am still trying to enjoy Halloween, my favorite holiday that hasn’t even happened yet, while the weather is telling me it is summer and retail stores are telling me it is Christmas. What am I supposed to do? I guess I will just sit in my room, sweating with a fan on my, watching Hallmark Christmas movies while sipping a pumpkin spiced latte. Good plan!
1. Trying all of the Pumpkin Flavored Coffees
I think I have been pretty clear about my love of everything pumpkin, especially pumpkin coffee. I even created an entire recipe so you can try making a pumpkin coffee at home!
One of my favorite things to do in October and November is stopping in any coffee shop I came across and trying their rendition of a pumpkin spiced latte. I went to a coffee shop by my work the other day and theirs was made with real pumpkin, unlike Starbucks! It was delicious but a little too strong for me. I was up all night!
2. Halloween Movie Marathons
And I don’t just mean scary and horror films. I mean anything that screams Halloween. And I am going to be honest, most movies on that list come from Disney. Disney Channel Originals were the absolute best during the spooky season, and there is nothing better than going back and watching them. I will be posting a list of my favorites later this month! Watching movies is fun all year, but you can only curl up in a blanket when it is cooler outside, which adds a special element!
Of course, I am still always down to watch all the horror and scary and dark movies I can find. I have watched Malevolent, Sinister II, and The Bye Bye Man so far this year! Any suggestions for good ones?
3. Taking Walks Around my City
When the weather gets a little cooler (crossing my fingers), there is nothing nicer than losing myself on a walk. When I have my headphones in, an audiobook playing, and my dog on a leash with me, nothing is better. It is calming for my anxiety and a great boost to my mental health.
This is one of those activities I love doing year-round, but this time of year is the best! I love strolling and looking at all the fall and Halloween decorations that my neighbors have put out. Unfortunately, this year I am seeing a definite lower amount of houses which have decorated. It has definitely been a tough year, so it is understandable, but still really sad. I love seeing adorable ghosts and dancing pumpkins outside of houses. Even though I hated them as a kid because I was afraid of them!
4. Cooking Warm Meals
I mean, summer food is pretty great don’t get me wrong. I love a good veggie burger, a salad, and some lemonade when it is warm outside. But I hate cooking those foods! I hate using a grill, and salads are so boring to make, it never excites me as much as the foods I make during the Autumn season.
Stuffed bell peppers, pasta, and soup all make up some of my favorite dishes to cook. Every Halloween I make a spooky-themed meal like mummy calzones. One of my favorite parts of the season.
5. Gardening and Decorating my House Plants
Don’t ask me why, but I always get a boost of energy when it comes to my plants this time of year. I am constantly checking on them and tending to them. Call it motherly instinct if you will, I want to protect them from the cold, which many of my plants don’t like.
Also, I am obsessed with decorating my house plants. Little fairy garden accessories are a must in my home, so when the Halloween season comes around, I am filling my pots with everything spooky I can find. You can see one of those projects that I did, my spooky terrarium, above! I am obsessed with the results of that project, and it still looks amazing. Still trying to decide if I switch out those decorations for Christmas ones next month, or if I leave it spooky all year. I do like spook!
6. Crafts and DIYs!
I am a homebody. I am happiest when I am spending my time alone at home, so what else is better to spend my time doing than crafts. Sometimes I feel like an old lady, sitting around crocheting by the fire. but it makes me happy which is so important. I talk a little bit about this, and finding hobbies that you enjoy in order to better yourself and your mental health in this post!
I also created an entire list of 50 fall craft ideas that might help spark some creativity in you! Most of these are crafts I would like to do this season as well! If only I had endless amounts of time! Sigh!
7. Book Shopping Adventures
This is an activity that I probably won’t be able to do this year because of my busy schedule and restrictions from COVID-19, but I absolutely love to find random bookstores in my area, ones that I have never been to before, and visit them. I remember a couple of years ago finding this incredible bookstore tucked in a random corner of a random city near me. Since then it has been my absolute favorite. Now, I am sitting here nostalgic, because I won’t be able to visit this year.
Anyway, there is just such a good aesthetic for book shopping and fall. They just fit hand in hand, or is that just me?
8. Pumpkin Carving
Another activity that I don’t know if I will get to this year. My best friend and I love to celebrate the seasons with activities like this. Activities that scream fall or scream Christmas. With coronavirus, however, it is going to be a little tougher. We are still trying to figure it out, with social distancing and masks and all the fun stuff. But it definitely won’t be the same.
Still, it is fun to carve a pumpkin into something spooky and put it out on your porch with a tea light in it. I won’t be handing out candy this year (not that we get very many kids stopping by in the first place), so I will be lighting the jack-o-lantern a couple days early. Still beautiful though!
And don’t forget to use every part of the pumpkin so that you are being eco-friendly! So many pumpkins are thrown in the garbage this time of year, so look for some pumpkin recipes, and roast the seeds with some cinnamon and sugar for a tasty snack!
9. Read Spooky and Atmospheric Books
There are multiple ways to get lost in Halloween stories. After I watch a spooky film, I will pull out my books and get lost in the pages. Every year I create my TBR (to be read) list of books I want to read in October. I think it is my favorite TBR to plan out of the entire year because dark and gothic books are my absolute favorite.
You can check out this year’s spooky TBR for spooky season on my other blog, here.
10. Clean
Okay, this one is weird, but I actually love cleaning out my home this time of year. I love going through all of the stuff I have accumulated over the past year, and reminiscing on the good times. I am very much a maximalist, as opposed to a minimalist, so I can accumulate… a lot.
So it is honestly super satisfying to clean up and prepare for the new year. It also makes decorating that much more fun. It is easier to put up my fall and Christmas decorations in a clean home!
Fall and Halloween definitely look a little different this year. We aren’t having the fun activities and events that we normally have. It is sad, but necessary for the safety and health of everyone around us.
WEAR A MASK!
But, we can still have fun. As a homebody, my life hasn’t changed all that much. Maybe one of these activities can bring a little autumn joy into your life, even if you can’t make it to the pumpkin patch this year.
What are some of your favorite activities to do this time of year? Let me know in the comments below!
