Autumn - or Fall as I call it having grown up in the US - is my absolutely favorite season. The crisp air, the cozy vibes, the gorgeous colors, the sweaters, the blankets, the cinnamon and pumpkin spice, the witchiness... it's everything I want out of life, all wrapped up in a pumpkin-scented package. Every year, I say I want to take advantage of everything Fall has to offer, and most years the months pass by in a haze of work stuff, school stuff and life stuff. Not this year though - this year I'm making a list: an Autumn Bucket List of things I plan to do, read, watch and make. Feel free to take anything you like off my list, or make your own, or both. Let's appreciate this beautiful season together, ok?
My lists are based on what I found when I reset for the new season. I like to take some time to consider what I want out of the coming months, what matters to me, what I don't want to miss out on. Click below to see exactly what I did and to reset with me!
Note that these lists are me personal lists, not what I think YOU should be reading, watching, doing and making in the coming months. I love looking through other people's lists though, and I hope you enjoy mine!
Things To Do This Fall
- Go for a walk in an autumnal forest (the trees around me don't change color, and I really want to see those gorgeous fall hues!)
- Decorate the house with autumnal accents
- Enjoy a Fall-scented candle - the brown sugar ones are too sweet for me, so I'll need to do some hunting for the perfect one!
- Use the slow cooker - I keep meaning to every year and then somehow I don't. But slow cooking feels so cozy to me, not to mention how it makes life (dinner) so much easier!
- Spend time on a craft - I'm currently considering signing up for a sewing class, but I can also teach myself to knit or crochet... presumably I can't do them all, right?
- Celebrate Samhain, the Celtic New Year on November 1
- Watch something spooky... this is not my usual vibe, and it can't be TOO spooky or I won't sleep lol, so it's not as easy as it sounds!
- Learn something - Fall is back-to-school season and although it's been a long time since I went back to school, the energy always inspires me to learn. I have plenty of options - I'm a perpetual student of tarot, astrology and magic and those topics are neverending - but I'm also a learning-addict so we'll see what also comes my way. In any case, I want to make sure I'm putting aside intentional learning time.
- Play cozy games - I've gotten into gaming this year after reading Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and finally bought a Nintendo Switch this summer. My cozy games of choice are Wylde Flowers (which is getting an update soon!) and Animal Crossing. There's something so soothing about both of them, and soothing is an excellent energy for my nervous system.
- Get a fall-themed sweater. Or two. Or more? lol
- Visit a Farmer's Market. I love these but haven't found a great one in my area yet.
Things To Read This Fall
These are a few titles that I plan to fit in - I will order them from the library and see how I get on. I'll probably also read plenty of books on tarot, astrology and magic, since I'm a perpetual student of these topics!
- Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree - this has been on my list for sooooo long and since it's considered a cozy fantasy Fall is the perfect time of the year to try it.
- Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman - one of the prequels to Practical Magic, about the original family witch.
- Circe by Madeline Miller - very witchy, based on Greek mythology
- The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber - this one's about female friendship and is set in a yarn shop, the perfect cozy setting.
- The Secret Ingredient bu Sue Heath - the tagline is 'she's writing her story one recipe at a time' and I can't resist it
- A Good Girl's Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson - I do love a good YA book!
Things to Watch This Fall
I had to do some googling for this, because I watched my go-to Fall movies over Summer! They included The Craft and Practical Magic and I couldn't wait lol. The list below is where I'll pull from in the coming months though, and it'll hopefully save me from endless scrolling through Netflix to try and find something last minute.
Movies:
- Mona Lisa Smile - I remember loving this movie about a woman's college in the 1950s (
- Sweet Home Alabama - another rewatch, hopefully it'll still be good!
- Pride and Prejudice
- St Elmo's Fire - I don't think I've ever seen this!
- Julie & Julia - about a food blogger following Julia Childs' cookbook. It's a great movie and a great book, too!
- Nightmare before Christmas - I keep meaning to watch this, and this is (hopefully) going to be there year.
- Beetlejuice - especially since part 2 is coming to cinemas
- Coco - another one I've never seen
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
- Amelie
- Anne of Green Gables - I LOVED the original Canadian production and can't watch any remakes because it was perfection. I haven't rewatched them in years and years and I'd love to.
TV shows:
- Gilmore Girls - obviously. I think this has become essential, required autumnal viewing? I re-watched the whole series pretty recently so it'll be singular episodes for me this year, but it's definitely top of this seasonal list.
- Only Murders In The Building - season 4 of this fun mystery show has just started streaming, yay!
- Sabrina The Teenage Witch - I would quite like to revisit the original sitcom, but a friend thinks that I might enjoy the scarier remake so I'll probably be brave and try that, too.
- Bewitched - my husband and I are watching the original series and it really holds up. Very clever and entertaining - and might be a good cozy antidote to the scary version of Sabrina, above!
- A Discovery of Witches - I couldn't get into the book when I tried reading it a few years ago, but the series looks perfect for this time of year.
- Wednesday - I think there's another season coming?
Things To Make This Fall
- A Polish apple cake
- A Polish plum cake (there's a theme here already!)
- A jigsaw puzzle - a lovely friend gifted my an Agatha Christie one last year and it would be perfect for this time of year.
- An autumnal playlist - I've really been getting into Spotify playlists and it feels fun to put together a list of songs that give me those cozy fall vibes. I predict a lot of tunes from the Gilmore Girls soundtrack 😉
- A simmerpot! I've been wanting to make one of these for ages - with an intention of course, so that it's magical, in addition to great-smelling.
- Something with pumpkin... as long as I can get canned pumpkin in Ireland!
- Cookies! Chocolate chip, oatmeal, how have I never made cookies from scratch before? I need practice for Christmas!
- A YouTube video showcasing the gorgeousness of Galway in the Autumn. I've been obsessing over Fall-themed content and really want to do something similar!
- A crocheted scarf - I'm definitely feeling the desire to revisit my very basic crochet skills, and hopefully improve them!
And there you have it, that's my list for the moment! Will you make one too? Should I add something to mine? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy autumning 🙂
Thank you for taking the focus off the darker mornings and earlier sunsets. Lots of warmth in those suggestions, great lists, that made me smile!
Thank you so much Joanne! I hope you’re having a lovely Autumn season so far!