It’s time to swap out our iced coffee for warm lattes, summer shirts for cozy sweaters, and sunny days for autumn afternoons! Fall is officially here, and whether it’s pumpkin patches, apple orchards, long hikes, or unforgettable Halloween nights, this season is full of memories that we’ll cherish forever. Everyone celebrates the season differently, so, let’s fall into the past with our HCC execs and revisit our favourite fall traditions, autumn adventures, and memorable Halloween costumes!
Gabriella Rodrigues – President
Fall has always been my second-favourite season, and Halloween has always been my second-favourite holiday. But fall activities have always been by far my favourite. Nothing beats a fall day filled with cute sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, fall tree-gazing and pumpkin picking. A simple tradition my family does every year is carving pumpkins and roasting the pumpkin seeds. I always get so excited to eat the warm, crunchy pumpkin seeds. Right next to my house, there is a small pumpkin patch with other fun activities like a petting zoo, horse riding, and caramel apples. Since my dog Chico entered our lives seven years ago, we have taken him to the pumpkin patch almost every year wearing a pumpkin costume! Going to the pumpkin patch and seeing his excitement at all the pumpkins and people cooing over his costume are the memories I will always cherish with him.
Sophia Akitt – Vice President
When I think about Halloween growing up, I immediately think of the incredible parties my mom used to throw for my younger brother and me. And when I say parties, I mean she went ALL out. Every year, our house in the countryside would turn into this elaborate Halloween wonderland, with friends, family, and neighbours all coming together, and absolutely everyone dressing up, including the parents. There were themed crafts, little activity stations, the coolest Halloween treats, and decorations so realistic that you would forget you were at someone’s house. She even put together an entire haunted house, recruiting older high school kids to dress up and play the actors. One of our neighbours would bring his tractor over and take everyone on hayrides around the block, which somehow made the whole night feel even more magical. Looking back, I don’t think I realized just how much time, creativity, and love went into making those nights so special. To us, it was just Halloween, but now I realize my mom (and my dad, of course!) was creating the kind of childhood memories that stay with you forever. I think that’s why I still love this time of year so much. Every fall, I find myself trying to recreate even a little piece of that magic, whether it’s carving pumpkins, decorating, or finding an excuse to do something festive. It’s less about the actual activity and more about holding onto that feeling of being a kid, when Halloween seemed like the most exciting night in the world. My mom really was the queen of Halloween, although, to be fair, she’s the queen of making every holiday special, and she still is. I hope that one day I can create even half as much magic for the people in my life as she created for us. ❤️
Leolla Del Villano – Associate Editor
While summer has always been my favourite season, fall has grown to be a very close second. Where I grew up, there wasn’t a big transition between the warmer months and the cold ones, and autumn was really just a week of leaves dying, falling, and being covered in snow very quickly. Although it was always freezing, I still loved dressing up for Halloween as a kid. My mom built a tradition that I hope to carry on to my own kids–she always made my costumes! I had to wear my snow suit underneath my costume, so my mom had to make sure there would be enough room for me to stay warm underneath the costume. She always made sure that I was warm and had a unique costume. I can vividly remember the year I was obsessed with Alice in Wonderland, and for some reason, the Red Queen was my favourite character. So, what did my mom do? She paper-mached my own Red Queen costume! I remember my mom later worrying that the paper-mache head she made was too heavy, but all I remember from the night is how much fun I had. Besides ensuring I had the most unique costumes, she always made sure our house was decorated and our food was festive. This is where my love for the holidays came from, and even now, I love coming up with fun costumes, and doing everything I can to feel the festive vibes. Thanks mom!
Claire Collee – Associate Editor
The biggest decision of any child’s life: what to be for Halloween? 8-year-old me sought out my mom’s insight—as any kid with a question does—to which she answered with stories of making her own costumes from scratch. She was a giraffe made out of stacked boxes, a front door crafted from cardboard and “Cousin It” with strands of yarn sewn onto a hat. Mom and her sisters had created a creative tradition, and unknowingly inspired a new generation to do the same. For me and my sisters, the Halloween season became craft season.
That first year making my costume I landed on being Mother Nature, which, of course, only led to more questions for Mom. Where to even begin for a Mother Nature costume? Mom brought me to my grandmother, Nanny, and the three of us crafted a plan. We decided on a sweater: ocean on the back, land on the front. Nanny taught me to use her sewing machine, where I sat to attach different bits and pieces. Artificial leaves, flowers, little animals, seaweed, sandpaper, rocks, even seashells Mom and I collected on the beach made their way onto my sweater. Nearly more fun than crafting the costume was the hunt to find the perfect little earthly items. Through three generations of creativity, my Mother Nature costume became more than just something I wore; it was a cherished memory of Mom and Nanny’s love, and a story I can one day pass down myself.
Brayden Murray – Social Media Director
My favourite Halloween memory is from 2007. It was my first year in pre-school and I was excited to sport a costume like my brother had in years prior. Like other eccentric children, I had worn my princess Belle costume to school on numerous random Tuesday’s. I would often fashion highly inconvenient matching plastic heels as accessories, just to destroy them in the mud during recess. Halloween was supposed to be my time to shine.
My mother had purchased a black-cat costume that was lined with fleece. The cat-suit was accompanied by an eared hood that clipped under my chin. My kind-hearted mom had planned to keep me warm on my first trick-or-treating excursion. However, she did not expect the innocent, and hilarious, two-year-old fear of my own costume.
My mom dressed me as the black-cat, kissed me on my forehead, and sent me to the mirror. She was shocked to hear a blood-curdling shriek—I was afraid of my own reflection. She rushed in, confused, to see a hysterical child attempting to remove a fur-covered cat-suit. Luckily, my brother’s costume from the year prior was much more friendly.
And that’s the story of why I dressed up as Spongebob for my first Halloween.
Abby Byrd – Social Media Executive
I’ve lived in a bunch of different places, so I’ve never really had one strict fall tradition. I’ve always celebrated in a pretty laid-back way, and honestly I’m more of a fall girl than a Halloween girl. For me, October is when my winter arc starts. I get super locked in on the gym, and I love going really early in the morning when the air is cold and crisp. Fall also means a very specific playlist, and nobody ever guesses it: upbeat rave music and hard-core military cadence-style tracks. Cozy sweater, crisp air, and a full-on rave in my headphones. It’s also the time of year to get my walks in while I still can, because once winter hits, that’s not happening.
Cara Shields – Social Media Executive
I could never quite choose a favorite season because I find something to love about each one, but fall certainly holds a special place in my heart. It also brings the return of my daily pumpkin chai lattes, a tradition I could never get tired of. One of my other favorite fall traditions is attending my local fair during the last week of September, something I’ve done every year since I was a baby. Over the years, it has become such a meaningful part of the season, especially because I get to spend time there with friends and family. My high school would even give us the Friday of fair weekend off, that’s how big it was to us! It’s something we all look forward to each year, and I love that it has remained a tradition even as so much else has changed over time. No matter how many years pass, I always enjoy going back, and fall just wouldn’t feel complete without it.
Ava Sakiadis – Marketing Director
One of my favorite parts about halloween was decorating the house with spooky halloween decorations. I remember as a kid always being excited to go to the store with my mom and pick out which decorations I wanted to put outside of the house. We would then come home and put up fake cob webs, rats, ghosts, and more all over the front of the house. As a kid, it always brought me so much joy and made me incredibly excited for halloween. Apart from decorating the house, we would also have pumpkin carving parties with my whole family. We would set up long big tables and set out pumpkins along them. Everyone would carve them together, and we would always make sure to save the pumpkin seeds for later. By the end of the carving we would line them up and stick candles in each to light them. It was always fun to do this as a family and to see everyone’s spooky designs come to life. October was always fun and the month my family would gather the most. Looking back, I will always cherish the memories of my family making halloween feel extra special and how our little traditions made it one of my favorite holiday’s as a kid!
Elina Ellis – Events Director
I’ve never had an affinity towards fall, I despise the cold, but I’ve always adored playing dress up. I reminisce about my younger years, where I’d muddle through my mother’s closet and claim all as mine. Black tie, nightwear, casual– didn’t matter, by the end of my hunt I would have been dressed in tens of outfits for tens of different occasions. Of course, my mother would be mildly annoyed coming home from a long day of work to her four-year-old daughter playing “Fancy Nancy” with her expensive clothes. But Halloween was the one exception to both her rules and mine. For one night a year I could borrow an item of my choosing. My mother’s jewlery, dresses and shoes were all at my disposal… on one condition: Mother would pick my costume. My mother’s taste was traditionally feminine while mine… was a bit odd. My mother would pluck Disney princess costumes off a rack while I was attracted to the blow up T-rex stuffed away in the corner. Mother says I never threw a fit, that for six years I wore what she would pick out. I think, deep down, I knew that fulfilling this wish of my mother’s would, for one, allow me to rummage her closet for the next year, but also, bring her memories that she could cherish. At a young age, my mother taught me how to compromise– to be selfless. Now, at my grown age, Halloween is my one time of year to be ‘selfish,’ to dress however I want, free of judgement. I’ve always despised the cold, but ever since I was four, Halloween has given me my mother’s warmth amidst the fall weather.
Ella Finley – Events Team Executive
Fall has taken on a whole new meaning to me since moving from London, Ontario, to Ottawa. What used to be just another season now represents change, independence, and new beginnings. The changing leaves remind me of how much I’ve grown and how different my life has become since leaving home. Fall in Ottawa means finding comfort in unfamiliar places, creating new memories, meeting new people, and slowly building a life of my own. It’s a reminder that change can be scary but also beautiful, and that sometimes growing up means learning to call somewhere new home.
My favourite fall tradition has always been carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds afterward. I love getting together with friends or family, picking out pumpkins, and seeing how everyone’s designs turn out. My favourite part is saving the seeds, seasoning them, and roasting them for a snack afterward. It’s such a simple tradition, but it’s something I look forward to every fall and always brings back good memories.
Tishk Salihi – Finance Director
One of my favourite fall traditions growing up was taking family photos every year for sure! I always loved seeing everyone come together, picking out our outfits, and capturing little moments that we could look back on later on. There was something so special about having these photos as a way to remember not only how much we had grown, but also the memories we made together. Looking back, I realize that it was never really about getting the perfect picture, but about having everyone together and being able to freeze those moments in time.. As we get older and life gets busier, I think we sometimes forget to appreciate the little traditions that make certain times of the year so special. Fall always reminds me of the importance of family, slowing down, and cherishing the moments that we might not realize we appreciate until it’s all we have left of the past!
Olivia Johnson – Secretary
One of my most memorable Halloween costumes was when I was five years old and dressed up as a little ladybug! Looking back, the costume was adorable, but the real memory comes from a photo of me getting caught with candy that my older brother had secretly given me. I guess even at five years old, I already knew that having an older brother could come with some pretty sweet perks! The picture perfectly captures what I was like as a child: a little mischievous, curious, and always easily tempted by sweets. I probably thought I could get away with sneaking some extra candy, but clearly, I wasn’t as sneaky as I thought I was. It’s funny how one little photo can capture so much of your personality at such a young age. While I have worn plenty of Halloween costumes since then, this one will always be a favourite because of the memory attached to it.
(I also have a picture, which has been approved)
Ella Corbin – Podcast Director
Fall is my favourite season by a long shot. Sweater weather, pretty colours, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and best of all, my birthday. My favourite memories of fall, and still my favourite thing, is celebrating this season with family. My family has always been the hosts of Thanksgiving festivities, and it makes me so happy to know I have those experiences with our very large group. Now that all the cousins are growing up, it gets harder every year for us to spend time together, but I know we all cherish the times we played games, ate turkey dinner, and sat around the backyard chatting with our parents. I hope someday I can create the same memories for my family, but they will never be the same as my parents made for me.
Nessa Wallace – Podcast Executive
Fall is my favourite season by far! Besides my birthday falling right before Halloween, this season has the perfect weather, and watching the leaves fall every year will never get old. My favourite seasonal tradition is watching Halloween movies like Tim Burton’s classics’, and of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and cozy autumnal shows like Gilmore Girls and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Arguably, Halloween is the best holiday, and I’ve never gone without a costume. When I was a child, I would go as a witch or a pirate interchangeably throughout the years. As I entered young adulthood, my costumes have gained somewhat more range. A few of my favorites have been Kevin the minion, and dressing like a character from Sims! I’ve grown to cherish the fall season more and more with each passing year, sharing these traditions with my friends and family. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of getting cozy, watching movies, and dressing up!
Grace Bestard – Podcast Executive
My favourite fall/Halloween tradition was having my mom hand-make me whatever costume I wanted each year. No matter what it was, my mom would bring me to the fabric store and completely design and sew my costume from scratch. As an 8-year-old, my Halloween costumes looked more like high-quality movie set costumes. I was Cinderella, Tinker Bell, the Cookie Monster, a clown, a cowgirl, a minion, and so many more. I loved it so much because I truly felt like I could be anything I wanted, and I was really proud of all my costumes. My mom worked really hard as a teacher but still found the time to come home after school and spend the rest of the evening sewing to make something really special for me. I’m not sure I’ll have the talent or the patience to carry the tradition on, but maybe I’ll be able to convince my mom to do the same for my future kids.
Amel Abderrahman – EDI Director
Fall is my favourite season. The reason for this is because of the perfect weather, as it is neither too hot nor too cold. On top of that, the ambiance of the season is beautiful. The leaves change colour and coat the ground. Last but not least, all my favourite events happen during the fall season: Thanksgiving and Halloween. Thanksgiving is filled with gratitude for what we are blessed with, plus turkey and pumpkin pie. In my household,my mom will make a big dinner every year with all the best food: turkey, salads, mashed potatoes, and then make her famous pumpkin pie for dessert. I also have always loved Halloween; as a kid, every single year I would dress up as a fairy, since that was my favourite thing ever. Now as an adult, Halloween is an excuse for me to get so creative with my costume. Every year I do something different; last year I was Pennywise for day 1, and a deer for day 2. This year I can not wait because I have a very thought-out costume, which I can not give away just yet.