falloween

hello.

i’m going to share with you one of my favorite traditions my daughter and i do every year on september 1st.

despite how extra we are on this day, there is truly nothing that brings me more joy than celebrating the start of our favorite season with my favorite person.

this tradition was birthed from despair. when my daughter was very young (around 5 or 6), i was having one of the most difficult years of my life. as a young girl, autumn was my favorite season because my mom went out of her way to make this time intentional and special through decorations, films, baking, books and everything in between. i can’t remember the exact catalyst that drove me to create this make believe holiday for my daughter and me, but after watching an autumnal daniel tiger episode with her one afternoon in late august, i couldn’t bear the thought of having to wait until the end of september to enjoy my favorite season. so i created falloween on september 1 as the official start of our fall.

here’s a list of all the things we cram into this special day:

-pumpkin waffles for breakfast: i have this pumpkin waffle maker we use and if you’re feeling fancy, williams sonoma makes a delicious waffle mix. (it’s pricey, but so good. trader joe’s makes a great one, too)

-bake homemade pumpkin bread: i’m going to plug williams sonoma again for two things that are unnecessary, but as i’ve collected fun festive fall baking accessories over the years, i can confirm that they have made the baking experience feel extra special. the pumpkin bread mix with this nordic ware autumnal bread loaf pan is perfect. this loaf pan is great, too. we usually have harry potter playing in the background to curate more fall vibes.

-burn fall candles: i’ll be sharing a full list of fall candles and fragrances tomorrow. anything cozy with cinnamon, vanilla, spice, or pumpkin will do.

-decorate our home for autumn: we always clean and get rid of all our spring summer decor the day before so we don’t have to worry about it on falloween morning. after we eat breakfast we sort through our autumn and halloween storage bins and start to decorate our home while listening to our jazzy autumn playlist.

-make a fall trail mix popcorn snack: watching films is another big part of this day, but not without a snack. every year we make this snack mix to enjoy while watching a fall film. it’s usually some variation of popcorn, salty pretzels, fall colored peanunt m&m’s, candy corn (don’t at me), sometimes we’ll throw in chex mix, and it’s delicious every time.

-watch fall films: coraline, juno, the nightmare before christmas, when harry met sally, etc (more films coming your way tomorrow)

-a trip to starbucks to order the first psl of the season: before you come at me with ugg boot wearing christian autumn girl etc… i’m not the biggest fan of pumpkin spice lattes. they’re too sweet for me. but on this day, i indulge for nostalgic purposes and it’s perfect. we usually get a pumpkin cream cheese muffin to split as well.

-listen to fall playlists: something jazzy, something indie, something halloweeny

-make homemade chili and cornbread for dinner: this is also a halloween tradition for us. there is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of soup with bread on cold gloomy days.

-bake pillsbury pumpkin cookies: some people argue that these cookies are vile, i highly disagree. the joy and nostalgia this cookie brings me is unmatched. sometimes i dip mine in milk.

-watch our favorite fall/halloween movie: it’s the great pumpkin charlie brown. this is the greatest fall film of all time.

and that’s pretty much our day in a cozy autumnal nutshell. it’s simple and comforting and it’s something i look forward to every year.

okay, that’s all for today. and guess what? in honor of falloween, i’m going to send out my autumn master list tomorrow morning for you to enjoy. it will be filled with autumnal activities, book and film recs, foods to make, playlists, and more.

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i love you.

bye.

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