I understand that in some regions in Japan, and other parts of the world as well, the weather is still relatively warm. 

The same is true for Egypt. Though, the temperatures are starting to cool slightly, particularly during the mornings and up until midday, you no longer need a fan or an air conditioner on, which is unthinkable during summer.

It might be a bit early, but regardless of what the weather forecast says, I am ready to fully embrace autumn and the spooky season.

Below I will share, in no particular order, five of my favourite activities to experience this seasonal transition, regardless of the weather outside.

1. Baking 

I enjoy baking in general, and I especially like to use seasonal spices and fruits in whatever I bake. 

Autumn is all about delicious flavours like cinnamon, apple, and pumpkin. So, you will find me baking a lot of cinnamon banana bread, apple cider donuts, and cookies with cinnamon or pumpkin spice flavours. 

Some of last autumn's bakes.

Needless to say, your house will be filled with those autumn aromas as well, which will further immerse you into the season.

You may have different flavours or dishes that you prefer or that are more commonly eaten in autumn in your region, you could go for those. The point is to indulge in the seasonal flavours of autumn.

This is a new hobby I picked up last year. I like to try learning new things, and knitting using chunky or loop yarn seemed like a fun and simple thing to do during the autumn and winter seasons, since all you need is yarn and your hands. (You can easily learn how to do this on Youtube.)

It is kind of a meditative activity too! Whenever I knit, my mind is almost entirely focused on what is at hand, allowing me to momentarily set aside other thoughts.

This can be particularly beneficial when feeling stressed or when you simply need to quiet your mind and take a mental break.

It is also a fun way to use my hands to create something, other than typing on a keyboard all day long. I think we were meant to use our hands a lot more than what our modern lifestyle requires of us.

I plan to start knitting an orange throw blanket this week, and this will be my main knitting project for autumn.

 I haven't tried this with loop yarn before, so.. will see if it works out.


2.1. Painting

If you can't get this yarn, or knitting sounds like too much of an old-lady activity for you..

You might replace knitting with painting, and try to paint some autumnal sceneries and colours instead.

It will still have the same meditative effect too, at least for me it does.

One of the easiest things to do and the simplest joys of autumn is collecting colorful leaves. 

You can take a walk in a park in the early morning, if the weather is nice, or if you have a backyard garden or balcony garden you can utilize that instead, and gather leaves in different shapes and colors.

I like to use them for decorations or as bookmarks. (After washing them, of course).

Watching a movie or a TV series with a cup of cinnamon hot chocolate, pumpkin spice latte, or apple cider and having something you baked earlier as a snack (and snuggled in the blanket you knitted!!) sounds like the perfect autumn night in, and something I absolutely love to do.

If is it too warm, and you are able to, you might turn on your air conditioner to emulate that crisp autumn weather. 

However, if there is no chance for air conditioning, go for a cinnamon iced chocolate or chilled apple cider. You’d still be enjoying the flavors of the season, and the coolness of the beverages would be refreshing as well.

This would be especially enjoyable if you are watching something that is set during autumn or with that seasonal ambience.

Here are some of my favourite movie and show recommendations for this season..

Movies:

1- Knives out (cozy mystery, thriller)

2- Practical Magic (romance, fantasy) (it has some violent scenes)

3- Coco (animation, fantasy)

TV Shows:

1- Only Murders in the Building (cozy mystery, comedy)

2- Outrageous Pumpkins (pumpkin carving competition)

3- Over the Garden Wall (animation)

I have also just started watching Gilmore Girls a few days ago, because it was recommended to me so many times, and so far, I am loving it.

The last thing on this list and the activity I spend the most time doing is reading books. 

Books I was reading during a previous autumnal spooky season

 

I love reading and I have been trying to diversify my reading palette by going for different genres and themes each season. 

Ideally, I would be reading with some nice autumn ambience sounds in the background (like this), and prehaps some jazz or classical music too (like this for example), depending on the mood and the read.

At the moment, I am reading a book called “A Fall of Marigolds” by Susan Meissner. 

This novel is set during the autumn season, particularly during September. However, it is quite an emotional story, so if you are looking for a fun, lighthearted read, this wouldn’t be the best choice. 

Here are three additional books you might enjoy this autumn..

1- A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg

2- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

3- The Winds of Autumn by Janette Oke

I also share weekly book recommendations here as part of my TRJ Weekly posts on IG. Feel free to check it out, if you are into reading and like to find new suggestions for each season and occasion.

Final Thoughts

I believe that engaging in different activities each season is a wonderful way to immerse yourself in the present and enjoy the little things.

If all the seasons were identical, and we continued to engage in the same activities, eat the same foods, and watch the same shows, it would feel as though life is rushing by too quickly, and we haven't had time to truly pause and feel the changes around us and savor them.

While this may not apply to everyone, I find that those subtle shifts in my daily routine, that coincide with the change of seasons, help me remain present in the moment, break free from the autopilot mindset, and genuinely experience the season rather than merely drifting through it.