I love fall.
It has always been my favorite season.
I think it’s the little things that I love so much.
The first morning when you need a jacket.
The smell of something pumpkin-ish cooking in the oven.
Getting outside when the Texas weather finally decides to cooperate.
Eating chili without feeling out of season.
Putting on jeans, boots and a great sweater and suddenly feeling like you have your life together.
There is something about October that makes ordinary life feel a little more delicious.
And lately, I’ve been thinking about how little it actually takes to make fall feel special.
Personally, I don’t need a house transformed into a harvest festival decorated with 47 tchotchkes from Hobby Lobby. (Okay, it would be fun for a day or two.)
I don’t need a weekend away. Although if travel is your thing, check out my piece on the best fall road trips from Dallas.
I don’t need to spend $300 at Target convincing myself that my home has a fall personality (Preaching to myself here!)
Sometimes you just need a few things you really enjoy.
And the good news is that some of them take almost no extra time at all.
The first several take literally ZERO extra time. Just accommodate the routines you’re already doing and make them a little more fall-ish.
Before you dismiss the idea because you don’t have time, here are some time-crunch versions.
Work with the windows open
My office is interior, so this one is pretty much impossible for me.
But yesterday I escaped to my car and worked for 30 minutes with the windows down, basking in the fall sun and cool temperatures.
Something about working that way made life better, richer during that time.
Let the outside in
Open the window while you’re doing the dishes.
Drive with the windows down.
Sit on the porch for a couple minutes.
(Full disclosure: I do this in summer and winter to get my sun time. But in fall, the difference is that I savor it instead of endure it.)
Fill your cup with something fall-ish for your morning commute
I have a tough time with pumpkin spice when the high is 95 degrees. But is there something with a fall flare that isn’t full on pumpkin.
Every season deserves a drink.
Maybe it’s coffee with something warm and spicy in it. Maybe it’s tea. Maybe it’s sparkling water with a little something added. Maybe you have discovered the world’s greatest apple cider (do share your secret!).
Whatever it is, find one you actually like. If you need inspiration, here are some fun healthy fall drink ideas.
Sit outside for lunch
October is the reward for making it through summer in Texas.
When the weather finally gives us a break, take it.
Eat lunch outside. Sit on the patio. Take your sandwich to the backyard.
You don’t have to turn it into an event.
Just don’t eat inside because you’ve gotten used to it being too hot to sit anywhere else.
Get dressed for the season
There is something about a great sweater, jeans and boots that makes an ordinary day feel like an occasion.
And this is where I think style can do more for us than we sometimes give it credit for.
Pull out the sweater you love. Put on the boots. Wear the lipstick. Add the earrings.
Sometimes the quickest way to change how a day feels is to change what you’re wearing.
Turn the lamps on earlier
This is such a small thing, but I love it.
As the days get shorter, turn on the lamps.
Don’t wait until the room is completely dark.
There is something about warm light coming on around the house in the early evening that makes everything feel a little more warm and inviting.
And this costs exactly nothing if you already own the lamps.
Which, as a bonus, is my favorite decorating budget.
Make your space smell like fall
This may be the easiest one.
Light a candle. Bake something. Make soup. Put something on the stove that smells like you’ve been cooking all afternoon when you’ve actually been doing something completely different.
I love when you walk through the door and your house smells distinctly like fall.
Okay. From here, these take a little more time, money or thought.
Go outside after work
Walk around the neighborhood. Sit outside. Take the long way home. Go get ice cream. Ride bikes. Find a patio. Go somewhere in Dallas you’ve been meaning to try. Sometimes the destination is just outside.
Seasonal haul at Trader Joe’s
I’m a big fan of the seasonal lineup at Trader Joe’s.
Pumpkin muffins.
Spiced nut mix.
It’s so good.
Sometimes a $4 seasonal treat is enough to make the grocery run a little more fun.
Put the pretty things where you’ll actually use them
I’m a big fan of things being both pretty and useful.
That beautiful throw blanket? Put it on the couch where someone will actually grab it.
The good mug? Use it.
The pretty bowl? Put soup in it.
The candle you’ve been saving for some imaginary special occasion? Light it on a Tuesday.
I’m increasingly convinced that one of the easiest ways to make everyday life feel richer is to stop saving the good stuff for later.
Later is a terrible decorator.
Buy one excellent seasonal thing
This is my favorite alternative to seasonal decorating gone completely off the rails.
A beautiful candle. A great plaid throw. A wreath you actually love. A gorgeous serving bowl. A pair of boots you’ll wear for years.
One thing you genuinely enjoy can do a lot more for a room — and for you — than a cart full of things you bought because you got lost in a moment at HomeGoods or the season told you to.
Buy the grocery-store flowers
Pick up an affordable bunch at the grocery store. Cut the stems. Put them in a real vase. Let them be a little imperfect.
I love expensive flowers.
I also love the fact that you can walk into a grocery store, spend a relatively small amount of money and come home with something to brighten the season.
Let dinner feel a little special
Dinner doesn’t have to be elaborate.
Maybe the same old soup you have always made.
But how about eating the same soup in a pretty bowl?
Or butternut squash pasta with a good salad.
Or takeout transferred from the plastic container to an actual plate.
Music. Glasses instead of the can. Candles to showcase the earlier sunsets.
Make October feel like October
This may be the whole thing.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to make life better over the past few years.
And I keep coming back to the same conclusion: sometimes we make it much harder than it needs to be.
We think the answer is the next experience. Another vacation. More money. More time. More stuff.
And sometimes those things are great. I am not anti-nice-things. Please.
But in the pursuit of the great, I don’t want us to overlook all the pleasure that costs very little.
A favorite fall sweater.
A candle.
Flowers from the grocery store.
A walk when the weather is finally enjoyable.
Soup in your favorite bowl.
The lamp turned on before sunset.
An afternoon in Dallas that you didn’t have to overthink.
These things don’t look particularly impressive on paper.
But stacked together, they can make an ordinary month feel pretty fantastic.
You don’t need a bigger life to have a richer one.
You need more things in your life that you actually enjoy.
And October is a pretty good month to start.
