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When asked the question, “what’s your favorite season?” it’s common to hear people say, “Fall!” The colorful foliage, cooler temperatures, harvest celebrations, pumpkin-spice lattes, much anticipated holiday festivities with family and friends, and, of course, football games all combine to make autumn a cozy and festive time of the year. Here are ten ways to make the most of fall before the Christmas season is upon us!

1. Go apple picking and/or visit a pumpkin patch.

Image by Caleb Cooper from Wikimedia Commons

This may be one of the more quintessential things to do during fall, and it’s a great time for city residents to travel to ranches and farms to enjoy fall outdoors. Look for a destination that is known for quintessential fall colors and has a highly reviewed apple-picking/pumpkin patch farm. Then enjoy the plentiful apples, hot apple cider, pumpkins, and hopefully, fried donuts. Oh, and don’t forget to take some amazing pictures!

2. Plan a movie night.

The Darkest Hour; Image courtesy of Focus Features, from Moviestillsdb.com.

Skip the scary movies that seem to be everywhere around Halloween, and instead rent a drama/mystery/action film with family and friends. Some films worth considering on Netflix right now are The Darkest Hour, Enola Holmes, Robin Hood, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, to name a few. Also check out on Amazon Prime Video: Mission: Impossible — Fallout, Interstellar, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

3. Take advantage of the sweater weather.

What better way to enjoy the fall season than to be warm and cozy whether you are at home, work, church, school, or outdoors! Maybe you already have a favorite sweater that you can finally wear now that the temperatures are dipping, or you might even want to add a new one to your wardrobe before the most popular styles are sold out.

4. Bake an apple or pumpkin pie.

Whether you’re an experienced pie baker or a novice, consider making a homemade apple or pumpkin pie from scratch—including the dough. Set aside a morning or afternoon, turn on some Christmas music (it’s already October, after all!), and leisurely prepare one of these delightful fall desserts to share with your family, roommates, and friends. Added bonus: The fragrance of the pie baking in the oven will fill your home with the natural scent of fall!

5. Attend an harvest festival.

Local Oktoberfest celebrations and harvest festivals are a great way to taste the local cuisine and/or experience some playful carnival activities with your friends, family, or significant other (not to mention just simply soaking in the fall ambiance). Check online and you may be pleasantly surprised to find numerous festivals happening in your neighborhood!

6. Host a “Friendsgiving” dinner.

For those who go home to visit their families (a.k.a. parents’ home) for Thanksgiving, host a pre-Thanksgiving “Friendsgiving” dinner and enjoy the fun of grocery shopping, turkey roasting, side-dish cooking, and dessert baking, all while creating a festive time for friendships to grow. Guests are usually happy to bring a side dish or dessert, so don’t hesitate to ask! If preparing and roasting a turkey is too complicated, you can also make the occasion a “Sides-Giving” dinner.

Pro-tip: If you are intimidated by roasting a large turkey, consider buying a small one ahead of the event and practicing all the steps. Everything is pretty much the same except for the roasting time, and you will feel much more confident when working with a bigger bird.

7. Read a good old-fashioned novel.

You may love reading but find it hard to commit to a book. We get it. Work, chores, and events here and there seem to add up. Yet, books help us improve our minds and also provide another perspective from our immediate reality. It may, surprisingly, provide some relief from your day-to-day worries and anxieties as well. You may want to read the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, which is probably the most famous gothic romance novel ever written, with an element of horror without being gory. It will make you think as well! What is on your reading list?

8. Partake of a fall-inspired beverage.

Three words: Pumpkin Spice Latte. Is it worth the price and calories? Absolutely! Consider having at least one hot apple cider drink this season, which is maybe a little more friendly on the calorie count. Enjoying a fall beverage is something that’s easy to do and even better when complemented with a stroll through the park among falling leaves.

9. Attend/watch a sports game.

Whether you’re a huge sports fan or not, it’s fun to get together with people and watch a competitive game, either in person or on TV. Since football and baseball playoffs go with the fall season, choose a team to cheer for and enjoy the fellowship with family and friends at home, a larger group at a local sports bar/restaurant, or a crowd in a stadium.

10. Have a date night.

Make a savory soup for your loved one, dine at a historic hotel, catch an outdoor movie in a local park or amphitheater (weather permitting), or light a fire at home and snuggle on the sofa while sharing your favorite fall dessert or playing a board game. Be creative, and you may even establish a new tradition that you can look forward to enjoying together each fall in the years to come.

This article has been updated since it was originally published on October 24, 2019.

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