What is your Favorite Fall Activity?

As the sun rises a little later, sets a little earlier and the temps start to dip, we settle in to cozy season - aka fall. This time of year lends itself to a plethora of activities and ways to savor the season - from spending time around the fire pit, decorating for Halloween and apple picking, to celebrating the return of sweatshirts and UGGs - we're reminded to settle in and get cozy. Whether you visit the pumpkin patch or perfect your PSL (pumpkin spice latte) order, we hope our favorite fall activities give you a few ideas or pose a few reminders. As Emilee shares, "More than anything, I love coming home after a chilly day on the soccer fields to a home-cooked meal and snuggling in with the family to watch a movie or play a game. Nothing feels more “fall” than that."

Emilee, Book Aficionado from @The BookClubCart

All three of my kids play soccer, so to me, fall and soccer are synonymous with each other. This has been my favorite season of soccer yet (but ask me at the end of next month after I have sat out in cold weather too many times and everyone is tiring out …and I may have a different opinion then!). Watching my kids do something they love makes going to their games and supporting them my very favorite thing to do in the fall.

More than anything though, I just love the warm and inviting vibes fall brings. The days get shorter (yes I love when it gets darker earlier!), dinner recipes start to change and become cozier, and the beginnings of coat weather.

Yes, fall also brings pumpkin farms and apple picking, but sometimes I feel those activities feel more forced than natural for us. So although it is fun for my family to do, they are not a necessity to fall. They become an activity that we try and make happen, but there are years we just don't get to it.

Having two kids elementary age, I love their excitement over Halloween, class parties, and picking out their costumes. But more than anything, I love coming home after a chilly day on the soccer fields to a home-cooked meal and snuggling in with the family to watch a movie or play a game. Nothing feels more “fall” than that.

Ali, Book Aficionado from @The BookClubCart

Fall is my favorite season because it's filled with activities I love. I enjoy watching football and cheering on my favorite teams, while also spending weekends at my kids’ soccer games.

Pumpkin picking is a fun tradition, and I always look forward to carving pumpkins together as a family. Each year the kids pick their own design. It is like a scrap book of their interest when we look back at the pictures. Even raking leaves becomes enjoyable when it’s part of the season’s charm. Who doesn’t love jumping into those piles!? These simple moments make fall a special time of year for me.

Kim, Home Connoisseur from @Reverie.and.Root & Founder of Spilling Goodness

Our favorite fall activity has to be apple picking. While we used to do a little bit of everything when the kids were little, most of it felt like "forced family fun," if I'm being honest. Trying to get the perfect picture at the pumpkin patch has been replaced with grabbing pumpkins at the grocery store between soccer games. One year, my kids even happily knelt down to take a picture laughing about pretending to pick pumpkins at Jewel. It was a moment that I realized everything has a season. While our pumpkin patch days are behind us, we still totally love apple picking.

How is apple picking different - well, for starters, we love apples. So, we genuinely enjoy our bounty. Using the the apple picking pole is still entertaining. Between my two boys, we're always laughing about someone's antics. We go to a place that is fairly convenient (Keller's Farmstand in Oswego) and has the best apple cider donuts- they remind me of going to the cider mill in Michigan during high school. And, there is just something lovely about walking up and down tree lined rows, finding a harvest of apples and eating a honey crisp straight off the tree.

Jen, Bespoke Travel Designer from @GlobalonDemandTravel

A daily joy filled routine greeting

I absolutely love decorating for Halloween—it's one of the most fun and creative times of the year for our family. Every October, we turn our home into a spooky wonderland filled with lights, cobwebs, skeletons, and all things creepy and fun. It’s especially exciting because Halloween is our youngest child’s favorite holiday, and it falls so close to his birthday, which makes it feel even more special and perfectly fitting for his playful spirit.

This year, we added a new character to our collection: a 3-foot-tall animatronic Gremlin. Every morning, our son rushes out to see his new spooky friend, watching as the Gremlin moves and makes sounds. It’s become part of his daily routine, and seeing the joy it brings him has made this Halloween season even more magical for all of us.

Rebecca, Woman's Leadership Coach from @PleasantlyAggressive

A campfire or a backyard fire pit is synonymous with fall. When the temperature drops, I love being snuggled under a blanket with a cocktail and some music.

There are a few things to ensure the best fire pit experience:

We invested in a Solo Stove during the height of the pandemic (like a lot of people did) since we were spending so much time outside. We have a wood-burning fireplace in our home, so between the indoor and outdoor fires, we have a face cord of wood delivered (that is a lumberjack measurement), and we never run out. To ensure we’re super cozy, we purchased the most comfortable outdoor chairs we could find - big cushions, swivel action, and reclining. We have a set of blankets that are outdoor-approved for those extra cold evenings.

Beyond drinks, we of course make s’mores, but while on our girls' camping weekend, we experimented with savory s’mores. We roasted mini-babybel cheeses, then sandwiched them between crackers, fig jam, and salami. They were delicious!

Lastly, if you throw some rosemary or sage onto the fire, not only does it smell wonderful, it also helps keep mosquitoes away.

Ashley, Millennial Mom Nutrition Coach from @AshleyBreaksTheCycle

Fall in New England is beautiful, but TBH it’s not my favorite season. I'm a summer girl through and through. Give me warm nights, sandals, and coat-less days any time over the endless winter that follows fall.

Still, there are parts of autumn that I can get comfortable with, pun intended! The cozy clothes are everything from baggy sweatshirts and leggings to UGG boots and warm fuzzy socks - It’s basically my “hockey mom uniform,” and I live in it once the temperatures drop. And yes, I'll happily grab an almond milk pumpkin spice latte… but only with two pumps because it’s way too sweet otherwise. Yup, I know I’m basic!

Another favorite? The trees in our yard. In October they turn THE most gorgeous peachy-orange, and every time I pull into our driveway I feel a little spark of happiness.

So while fall brings busier schedules and the looming (brutal!) New England winter, it also brings small comforts that make the season worth savoring. One latte and one cozy sweatshirt at a time!

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