spring is here: film recs, book recs, music, activities, things to cook, candles, fragrance, and more

Mar 21, 2024

Hello.

Spring has arrived, catching us by surprise again. Growing up, my life was punctuated by seasonal traditions. My mom turned every holiday on the calendar into a celebration. She would decorate my lunch bags with Easter stickers and make sandwiches in the shapes of butterflies for spring. We would paint eggs for Easter and make handmade cards for friends and family. We had a special menu and spring meals inspired by the season. She would make snack mixes for my classroom at school and bake sugar cookies shaped like bunnies. These vibrant memories from my childhood stand out, offering solace during life's heavier moments.

The seasons have always felt comforting and so I want to share some recommendations and things I love to celebrate Spring so you can celebrate, too.

Films:

Starting off with one of my favorite films…

-A Tale of Springtime (1990)

-Alice in Wonderland (1951)

-Normal People (2020)

-My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

-The Green Ray (1986)

-Matilda (1996)

-Love in the Afternoon (1972)

-Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Story pin image — moonrise kingdom (2012)

-The Sound of Music (1965)

-Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (1989)

-Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

-Blue (2002)

-Sleeping Beauty (1959)

-Breathless (1960)

-The Virgin Suicides (1999)

-Bambi (1942)

-The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)

-Barefoot in the Park (1967)

-Daisies (1966)

-Marie Antoinette (2006)

-The Velveteen Rabbit (2023)

-Arrietty (2010)

-Peter Pan (1953)

Books:

-Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

-Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

-Beatrix Potter Series

-Brambly Hedge Series

-Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

-Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

-Pure Colour by Sheila Heti

-My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

-Breasts and Eggs by Meiko Kawakami

-The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

-Circe by Madeline Miller

-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

-Stardust by Neil Gaiman

-Emma by Jane Austen

-Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

Things to Cook/ Bake:

These are simply ideas and foods that remind me of spring. I didn’t link any recipes because, my god, there are so many on the internet. My go to resource to find recipes are: NYT Cooking (i highly highly recommend this subscription, alison roman recipes, classic cookbooks like The Joy of Cooking, The Silver Palate, The Cold Weather Cooking, etc and the cookbook my grandma wrote with her girlfriends during graduate school.

-Strawberry Pie

-Egg Casseroles

-Strawberry Shortcake

-Spring Charcuterie Board

-Pasta with Peas and Parmesan

-Crepes with Fresh Berries

-Lemon Meringue Pie

-Lemon Bars

-Kimbap

-Spring Rolls

-Tofu Lettuce Wraps

-Crunchy Bread, Olives, Good Cheese, Cornichons

-Roasted Artichokes with Garlic Aoli

-Biscuits with Salted Butter and Strawberry Jam

-Roasted Carrots with Dill

-Grilled Asparagus with Lemon

-Lemony Tortellini with Spinach and Dill

-White Bean and Spring Vegetable Stew

-Chamomile Strawberry Muffins

-Lemon Poppyseed Loaf Bread

-Earl Grey Blackberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

-Sugar Cookies with Dried Pressed Flowers

-Spring Focaccia Bread

Activities:

Things to do solo or with a friend or with a lover.

-Farmer’s Market: This is the perfect opportunity to buy spring produce and flowers. Oftentimes at farmer’s markets there are local bakeries and makers selling niche things to buy if you’re looking for something special to take home. High recommend- especially if it’s bread <3

-Buy Spring Flowers: Do you have a favorite flower? Mine change with the seasons. For spring, I love hydrangeas and tulips- peonies for late spring.

-Go Berry Picking: This is arguably my favorite spring activity. I love going to U-Pick farms to pick fruits and veggies. Strawberry picking is something special you can do independently or with a friend or with your significant other. You can dress up in a cute dress and wear a hat and collect berries in a little basket. What a vibe, right? Bring a polaroid or film camera. Have a picnic at the farm (if they allow it). Drink strawberry lemonade and pack little pb&j sandwiches with strawberry jam.

-Start a Garden: I realize this is difficult for some of you, depending on where you live. But you can make an indoor garden. Something like this. Or if you’re wanting something extravagant, they have these hydroponic gardens called Tower Gardens. Or you could keep it classic and build on in your backyard.

-Have an Indoor or Outdoor Tea Party: Tea parties are a quintessential spring activity. Outdoors seems fitting because the weather is finally starting to get tolerable for outdoor activities. But a little indoor spring tea party on a rainy day with jazz playing in the background and a good book sounds lovely, too.

-Go to the Farm to Pet Baby Animals: This is a dream for me. Going to a farm to pet baby cows and lambs. This is a very high priority activity on my spring bucket list.

-Flower Fields: I hope you live near flower fields. This year I would love to go to the tulip fields and the lavender fields. I saw another place upstate with peony fields. What a dream.

-Visit the Zoo: This would be a fun activity with friends or a good date idea.

-Watercolor Painting: I’m terrible at drawing, but using watercolors feels like something one should do during spring. It would be fun to take a watercolor class.

-Spring Baking and Cooking: I made a little list above for some ideas. This is the perfect solo activity, especially if you’re having a stressful day. Put on your favorite film or playlist in the background and bake your worries away.

-Picnics at the Park: The iconic spring and summer activity if you ask me. Make little tea sandwiches, pack some sweet treats like shortbread cookies or mini scones. Bring tea and tea cups. Pack a book, a big blanket, and a mini radio. I would bring a journal and you can pick flowers and press them inside the pages.

-Reading and Journaling: The perfect solo activity. You can make spring mood boards and collages. It’s the perfect excuse for new stationery.

-Feed the Ducks: You can do this at your park picnic, right?

-Visit the Botanical Garden: A lot of cities have botanical gardens you can visit. This would be another great date idea.

-Drink Matcha: I’m convinced an iced milky matcha is the drink of spring.

-Press Flowers in Books: This falls under the journaling/ arts and crafts activity section. Pick your favorite flowers and press them into your favorite books (or journal).

Music: