Growing up, I anxiously awaited October to roll around. It is my birth month, I’m a sucker for Halloween movies, and I adore the cooler weather along with the leaves complementing it. As I have gotten older, without even realizing, I engage in so many different fall rituals that help me romanticize my favorite season. In a culture and time of my life where it is easy to get caught up in the busyness of school and stress about the next thing to get done, finding ways to romanticize the season you’re in (pun intended) is so key – and so fun!
Firstly, while I am not the biggest fan of a PSL, I love to try fall-themed snacks and drinks when I can. I need to caffeinate regardless, so adding pumpkin cold foam to my iced coffee adds some festive fun to my morning (a must try from Starbucks). I also love how the grocery store aisles turn into a sea of orange, and Trader Joe’s turns even the simplest of snacks, meals, and products into festive fall ordeals. To this end, I love getting into the spirit by trying their fall versions of things!
Another huge fall ritual I engage in is Halloween movies and tv shows! When I was younger, I patiently waited for the Disney Channel Halloween episodes to come out, begging my parents to let me stay up on school nights (8/7 Central, if you know you know) and loving every second. Movies like Halloweentown and Hocus Pocus would be on in my living room, complementing my mom’s yearly tradition of decking the house out with decor. I loved every second of it, and I am so excited to go home to these rituals this fall break, too.Â
Finally, trick or treating on Halloween is a given ritual I have always loved. Something I find so special is how this ritual is one that changes and evolves, though never leaves. While I am turning twenty this month, and thus am many years too old to be trick or treating, I love that I can still have so much fun with it on the other side of things. Passing out candy and seeing all the excited kids and their costumes is so fun, and so heartwarming. I hope one day these kids pass it on and help others trick or treat successfully, too! I also love doing this with my parents, as they spent so many years making Halloween so fun for my brother and me (namely my dad walking around with us til our treat bags weighed more than we did!)
Finding rituals to make every season of life is not only important, but also so fun! Happy Halloween, and happy fall!