So is anyone elses Facebook and Instagram feed filled up with pictures of leaves, pumpkins, apples, and Hocus Pocus? It’s not just me, right? Of course not, because it is FINALLY fall. Obviously we all have our favorite seasons, but this year it seems a lot of people are getting on the fall band-wagon. Maybe it’s because Spring and Summer were limited to what we could do, or maybe it’s because 2020 has just been a hell-ish year and we are all just excited that it’s almost over. Whatever your reason for loving fall is, make sure you enjoy it to its extent by doing my top 10 favorite fall activities!
- Do a corn maze- For the last four years my “second-family” and I travel somewhere and go get lost in a corn field. Yes, it’s probably a bit childish and yes my niece is probably outgrowing it, but it always ends up being so much fun. We’ve gone in 90 degree weather and 50 degree weather, flip flops and boots. We get the clue card, one that we know Kara can do and off we go. Yes, we argue about which way we should go and yell at each other for going too fast or too slow BUT we also celebrate the small victories of getting to the next rock or clue, and make friends with those who are lost in the maze too. We take pictures and get apple cider and doughnuts to eat and then head back home. It’s not always about what the experience is, but you do it with.
- Go to a cider mill- Near where I am from is a wonderful cider mill in the small town of Fly Creek. It’s one of my favorite places to go anytime of the year, but especially for fall. If you’ve never had fresh pressed cider, then you are missing out because it is DELICIOUS! At the cider mill not only can you visit the ducks, but you can see the cider being pressed in the old fashion press, you can walk around the gift shop and get lots of samples of their different sauces/salsas and butters. You can also choose out a fresh apple pie for dessert, get a cute hanging for your wall and if you’re old enough taste samples of their hard cider and apple wine.
- Pick pumpkins- Although I have only ever carved one or two pumpkins in my life ( I was deprived as a child) I still love to go pick pumpkins out to decorate my front porch with or to paint with my niece. Even if you don’t go to the pumpkin patch, try to swing by one of your local farm stands and support them by buying a half dozen of pumpkins for next to nothing. If nothing else, you’ll be festive and supporting a local farm.
- Decorate the house- I love when seasons change because it means I get to break out the tote of decorations for the next holiday. I feel like my house, mainly my living room, gets a face-lift everytime I get to redecorate it throughout the year and one of my favorite times to decorate it is fall. I break out the faux leaves and pumpkins, the ghosts and witches, the black cats and witches. The fall scented candles get brought out (apple cider, pumpkin and one titled “Fall”) and I go buy the cinnamon smelling brooms. Every year when I decorate I tend to get more and more, and Mike tends to comment along the lines of “it looks like a pumpkin threw up in here” but he doesn’t actually mean it. It makes the house feel cozier in it’s own way. Need some new decorations- check out the local thrift shops and dollar stores, you’d be amazed at what you can find for a fraction of the cost.
- Have a campfire- Most people connect campfires with summertime, smores and maybe camping. However I love a good fall campfire. It’s cold enough out that the pesky mosquitoes have died off, and the warmth from the fire actually feels good. Sit around the fire with friends, listening to music and drinking some fall flavored drinks.
- Break out the crockpot- You know it’s fall in my house when the crockpot comes out and pretty much stays on the counter until the beginning of spring. On the weekends I love to make up a soup, stew or a batch of chili in the morning and let it cook in the crockpot all day long. I usually will make a loaf of homemade bread or rolls to go along with it to help warm the house up too. Nothing is better on a cool fall day then coming in and warming up with a hot cup of soup/stew or chili. Pork roasts and chicken dishes are just as yummy too!
- Go for a Sunday Drive- Growing up I despised Sunday Drives with my Dad, which consisted of driving all over the Catskills for the heck of it. Now going for a drive is one of Mike and I’s favorite pastimes, and I especially love doing it in the fall. Going out to see the amazing colors of all the leaves is always breathtaking, and driving down a backroad where leaves have fallen always feels like a dream to me. It’s a good way to just get out there and enjoy nature.
- Can/Freeze your garden- Sadly, because of the move this year I don’t have a garden to harvest. However, lots of our local farms are selling plenty of their crops that I’ll still be able to do some. Mike loves all the squashes, but especially butternut squash. One of my fall “chores” is to go buy a bunch of it, cube it up, blanch it and then freeze for use throughout the winter. One of these days I also want to have a successful tomato crop and be able to make my own tomato sauce.
- Catch a football game- Regardless of your political standpoint, because let's face it politics have gotten into everything this year, catching a football game should be a fall tradition. Regardless if you got your favorite NFL team, want to catch a college game or even just go down to the local high school on a Friday night, “sitting” and cheering on for a team with your friends and family is always lots of fun.
- Do Halloween. Getting Mike into a costume is about equivalent to pulling a tooth, therefore our Halloween costumes have to consist of him only having to put on a different t-shirt. Regardless if you have kids or not, dress up, turn on your porch light and hand out candy to all the kids. Kids love seeing when adults dress up because it helps them know that the fun doesn’t have to end when you turn a certain age. If you don’t have any kids and really want to get into the spirit, do what Mike and I are doing this year and throw a Halloween Party for our friends.