A month-ahead look at October seasonal living, holiday prep, what I am reading, and what I am looking forward to
October is my favorite month. I say this every year and I mean it every year. September is lovely, and it counts as the first of the ber months on the calendar, but if you live somewhere with four real seasons, you know that September is still negotiating with Mother Nature. October has made up its mind. The temperatures drop, the colors arrive, and our attitudes shift right along with them. The sweaters are out. The soups are on the stove. There is nowhere else I would rather be in the whole calendar year.
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A Busy Month
October is not a quiet month here. We have several birthdays to celebrate, which means the calendar fills up in the best possible way. And of course there is Halloween, which I will be honest about: it is not my holiday. I am not a haunted house person or a scary movie person, and decorating the front porch with cobwebs has never appealed to me. But Trunk or Treat I love. Seeing the kids in their costumes, the little ones especially, the pumpkin suits and the elaborate superhero getups, that I could watch all evening.
Football season is in full swing. Pots of soup on Sunday, game day snacks, and more pumpkin treats than one person can enjoy. Both my Seasonal Table collaboration with Cindy and the Sweet Treats series with Sheri Silver will have seasonal recipes this month, so watch for those. If you are looking for something to make right now, my Layered Chili is exactly what October evenings call for. And for Halloween or game day, my Oreo bark is a whimsical addition to any spread.
Getting Ahead on the Holidays
The sales are starting, and this is one of the best time to buy gifts. Find them, wrap them, put them in the closet. Future you, standing in a late November and early December checkout line, will be grateful.
And the Christmas cards: if you have been with me since July, when I wrote about getting ready for Christmas early, you should have a tidy stack of addressed envelopes ready to mail the last week of November. If you are just joining us, start now. A few envelopes in the evening while you are watching something. It takes less time than you think.
As for my tree, I was hoping to have my new King of Christmas tree up by the tenth, but it is on backorder and will most likely not arrive until November. What I do have are new ornaments that I made myself and a whole new look I am excited about. It will still be English-inspired, candles, glass beads, and baubles, the warmth of the thing more than the spectacle. You can see my other trees here and here if you want to see where I started.
What I Am Reading
Pico Iyer’s Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells. A book about Japan in autumn, about aging and loss and the beauty of things that are ending.
Ali Smith’s Autumn is the first in her Seasonal Quartet, and I have been meaning to read it for years.
And A Pen Dipped in Poison by J.M. Hall because October calls for a good mystery set somewhere in the English countryside.
If you have children or grandchildren I think they would love Fall―A Seasons Story: A Cozy Autumn Tale for Kids that, coincidentally, is about a monarch.
What I Am Looking Forward To
The first fire in the fireplace. A walk on the first cool morning with the scent of wood smoke on the air and a little steam coming off the lake. The moment the light through the back windows hits a certain set of trees and lights them from within. Pisa, Paris, and Patches staking their claim to the plaid blanket on the sofa for the foreseeable future.
October is a full month. Celebrating the seasonal changes, family birthdays, holiday menus and decorations. I hope it is a good one for you too.
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