1. Start a Knitting Project
The rapidly-dropping temperatures warrant cold-combatting gear, and instead of spending money to buy a pair of gloves that your thumb will constantly poke a hole through, or a scarf that you wish was a little bit longer, why not make your own? Whether it’s for yourself or for loved ones, fall is the perfect season to go pick out new balls of yarn, stay indoors on rainy days, and knit away. That way, you can avert all the judgmental gazes you might get for doing this “old person” sport (not that there’s anything to judge about, because knitting takes skills and patience). Plus, I’ve always wanted to be a part of the cheesy couple wearing linked gloves in Asian dramas… just thinking about it has already got me feeling all warm and fuzzy.
2. Go to a New Music Show/Discover New Music
Whether it’s listening to a new genre on Spotify, wandering onto a new artist’s page on Soundcloud, or going to a music show you’ve never been to before (you can find pages upon pages of local music shows here), fall is a great opportunity to refresh your playlist. What with the changing colours all around – the leaves turning red,and the sky turning grey, it’s a time quite fitting to explore and maybe have a change of taste. Perhaps you’ll find a song you can scream to the next time you get frustrated at the rain, or maybe you’ll find a calm song perfect for driving in the rain. Either way, you’ll have the 90s Nostalgia playlist on Spotify to fall back on if you don’t find anything new!
3. Go on a Picnic
On the rare days when the rain clouds go away and the sun shines, I love to take it as a sign to pack a basket, some (or many) blankets and go on a picnic. Having a picnic in the fall is great because:
1) You get to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the many different shades of leaves dancing and twirling in the wind, but the reason why I truly love having picnics in fall is because…
2) THERE ARE NO BUGS! No bees, no crawling bugs bothering you! Ah – life is great.
4. Try Out New Recipes
Fall (and winter) is the best time for making comfort food. There are so many recipes that can warm up your body (with or without pumpkin spice), whether it’s a hearty soup, stew, roast, casserole, or meatloaf – whatever you name it. You can even take this opportunity to warm up your culinary skills and find that perfect recipe that will wow everyone at upcoming parties during the winter festivities!
5. Go Candle Shopping
Smell brings back amazing memories… My favourite summer scent is anything that has the words “beach” and “sea salt” in it. While I still love those scents and use them occasionally in the fall, I want something a little more fitting to the season. Rather than using Febreeze to scent my home (it’s very personal as to whether Febreeze smells good or bad), I much prefer using candles, as it not only makes the room smell nice, but the candle flame gives a warm touch to the room it’s in. Instead of going for the traditional warm, gingery, cinnamon-y, or even cookie scents, I like light floral scents and some of my favourite winter flower scents include nantucket briar and edelweiss.
What are your favourite things to do in the fall?