10 Things to Love About the Fall Season

Fall is in the air my friends!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always adored the fall season. From the cooler temperatures to the colorful changes to the overall coziness of the season, fall brings me a level of comfort, joy, and happiness that’s unmatched by any other season. While there are plenty of things to love about spring, summer, and winter, I must admit I look forward to the days of fall all year long. Fall is a magical, inspiring season, one where my creativity blossoms, my stress and anxiety levels lessen a bit, and my overall mood brightens tenfold. Each year, reuniting with fall is like catching up with an old friend you haven’t seen in awhile. It’s a refreshing change of pace and a time to stop, slow down, and be genuinely grateful for all the little things in life.

Although the official crossover to fall happened a few weeks ago, I find that September still feels more like summer than fall. All throughout the United States, there’s a consensus amongst the people that Labor Day puts the unofficial seal on summer, but with post-Labor Day temperatures still in the 90s here in North Carolina, it’s hard to be fully swept up in the changing of the seasons that early on. Sure I might buy a few pumpkin spice treats, or peruse the aisles of Target looking for the first signs of fall, but for me, fall really starts to feel like fall in October.

And so, to celebrate October and all things fall, I’m sharing my list of 10 things to love about the fall season. Enjoy!

Crisp morning air & cooler days

By the end of Carolina summertime, I feel no remorse for craving cooler fall temperatures. After months of almost unbearable humidity and scorching hot, sweaty days, I’m happy to welcome the crisp 50 degree mornings and cooler, less humid 70 degree days with wide open arms. I always look forward to spending more time outside throughout the fall season — the cooler weather yields better opportunities for outdoor activities like hiking, jogging, walking the dog, and sipping coffee on the patio, things I can’t do without melting away in the summer heat.

Cozy attire

Fall fashion is my favorite fashion. There’s no feeling quite like pushing summer clothing to the back of the closet to make room for all things fall. Sweater weather is my absolute favorite weather and I’m not sorry to wish away summer, not one bit! I love cozy sweaters, crewnecks, flannels, and cardigans so much, it’s no wonder 75% of my closet can only be worn when the temperatures dip. Be it denim jackets, oversized crewnecks, or combat boots, you’ll find me wrapped up in my favorite fall cozies all season long.

Fresh fall candle scents

The scents of autumn are my absolute favorite — pumpkin spice, apple cider, cinnamon, crackling fire, you name it. No other season’s candle scents come close to the fall varieties. This year I’m loving Bath & Body scents like Sweater Weather, Leaves, and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. I’ve been burning them nonstop for weeks now — they make me want to curl up in a blanket with a warm cup of coffee and a good book!

A new color palette

Whether an assortment of muted neutrals or an array of rustic red, burnt orange, and mustard yellow hues, I live for the colors of fall. From clothing to home decor to the leaves on the trees changing colors, the color palette of fall brings me an abundance of joy in so many facets of life.

Pumpkin decor

How could one not love pumpkin decor? Every fall, I look forward to decorating the house with cute little pumpkins. I always buy real pumpkins from the pumpkin patch to spice up our front porch area and shop a variety of other retail options to add throughout the house. I’m a firm believer that one can never have too much pumpkin decor, how about you?

Pumpkin spice everything

Pumpkin spice flavor may not be for everyone, but it sure hits the spot for me. From pumpkin spice flavored foods to pumpkin spice flavored coffee, I find myself trying everything pumpkin I can get my hands on. To my fellow pumpkin lovers: the Internet informed me that Trader Joe’s is THE one-stop-shop for all things pumpkin spice; I went last weekend and can confirm you wont be disappointed. I came away with pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin Kringle, pumpkin bread (hello pumpkin spice French toast), pumpkin sauté sauces, and lots of other sweet pumpkin treats!

Soup season

I’ve always been a lover of a good soup, chili and chicken and wild rice soup being two of my all time favorites. If I’m being honest, nothing beats a hearty bowl of soup in the fall. The crockpot most definitely becomes my best friend this time of year and I spend endless hours sifting through Pinterest to find yummy new recipes to indulge in. Do you have a favorite soup recipe? If so, share it with me in the comments below!

Oktoberfest beers

Oktoberfest beers are my favorite beers. In fact, one of my favorite things to do throughout the fall season includes scouting Oktoberfest specialties at local breweries; this includes finding all the Marzens, festtbiers, pumpkin ales, and seasonal ciders I can get my hands on — I mean, I’m not one to be picky when it comes to good seasonal beer. One of my favorite local options from this year (so far) is the Fainting Goat Oktoberfest, which I tried while out for dinner late last week. I even took a trip to Total Wine & More in Cary last weekend and bought a bunch more local brews to taste test at our Oktoberfest celebration with friends this coming weekend. Stay tuned for that!

Rainy, overcast days

Call me crazy, but I love rainy fall days. For me, dark and dreary days inspire so much more creativity. I love to enjoy them in cozy clothes, wrapped in a soft blanket, watching Netflix, sipping hot coffee, and writing out ideas for the blog. Or napping. Rainy days are good for naps too.

The return of football Sunday’s

And last but certainly not least — football! Football is my favorite sport to watch. Born and raised a Green Bay Packers’ fan, I live to cheer for the green and gold every Sunday (or Monday or Thursday, you know how it is). After a long offseason, it’s always nice to have football Sunday’s back in action come fall. And especially given this year’s pandemic, I’m glad we were even able to have football Sunday’s to begin with. Who are you cheering for this year? For me, it’s always a Go Pack Go!

There are so many things to love about fall, it’s hard to make a proper favorites list. I could go on and on about ALL the things I love, but the list would be endless and no one wants to read an endless list! What are some of your favorite things about fall? Leave a comment below and let me know — I’d love to hear from you!

JB