LexTalk

There are plenty of little signs that fall is on its way.

Halloween decorations start sneaking onto store shelves. The mornings get a little cooler. Pumpkin-flavored everything suddenly takes over the world. And I start lighting candles while pretending California has received the memo that it’s supposed to be fall now.

But there’s one thing that really does it for me.

Pumpkins.

Big pumpkins. Tiny pumpkins. Perfectly round orange pumpkins. Little white ones. Weird lumpy ones that look like they’ve been through some things.

I love them all.

Put a bunch of pumpkins on some hay bales, add a few orange flowers, and apparently, I’m stopping whatever I’m doing to take pictures.

Which is exactly how we ended up here for Day 5 of my 31 Days of October Photo + Writing Challenge.

Today’s photo prompt is A Pumpkin, but the writing prompt asks something a little more personal:

What’s one of your favorite fall traditions?

And that answer came pretty easily.

My Favorite Kind of Fall Night

As much as I love wandering through pumpkin patches and stopping to admire every pumpkin display I come across, one of my favorite fall traditions doesn’t require me to go anywhere.

It happens right at home.

Give me a pumpkin spice latte, a Halloween movie, the windows open and a pumpkin candle burning somewhere nearby, and I am ridiculously happy.

That’s it.

That’s my little slice of October magic.

There’s something about finally being able to open the windows and feel that cooler air drifting through the house. The pumpkin candle is flickering, making everything smell warm and cozy, and I’ve got a pumpkin spice latte in my hands while a Halloween movie plays on the TV.

Apparently, I like my fall traditions to look, smell AND taste like October.

And I’m completely okay with that.

There’s Just Something About Halloween Movies

The movie doesn’t even have to be scary.

Sometimes I want creepy.

Sometimes I want funny.

Sometimes I want one of those nostalgic Halloween movies I’ve already watched so many times that I could probably tell you what’s about to happen.

There’s something comforting about returning to the same movies every October.

You already know the characters. You know the story. You know your favorite scenes.

But somehow, when October rolls around, they feel special all over again.

Maybe it’s nostalgia.

Maybe it’s the pumpkin candle.

Maybe it’s the latte.

Or maybe October just has its own kind of magic.

I’m going with that last one.

Maybe Traditions Don’t Have to Be Big

I think sometimes we hear the word tradition and imagine something elaborate.

A big annual trip. An event that’s been happening in the family for generations. Something planned months in advance.

But I’m starting to think some of the best traditions are much smaller than that.

They’re the things we naturally find ourselves returning to because of the way they make us feel.

Opening the windows when the weather finally cools down.

Lighting the first pumpkin candle of the season.

Ordering that first pumpkin spice latte.

Pulling out the Halloween decorations.

Watching the same movies you’ve already seen a hundred times.

Stopping to take a picture of a giant pumpkin because, well…

LOOK AT IT.

Those little things become markers in our lives.

They tell us another season has arrived.

Maybe That’s What I Love Most About Fall

Fall gives us permission to make ordinary things feel a little more special.

Coffee isn’t just coffee anymore.

It’s a pumpkin spice latte in your favorite mug.

Watching TV isn’t just watching TV.

It’s a Halloween movie with the windows open while cool air drifts through the room.

Lighting a candle isn’t just making the house smell nice.

It’s that first little flicker of warm light that somehow makes the entire room feel cozier.

And a random pile of pumpkins outside a store?

Well…

Suddenly it’s a photo shoot.

That’s what I love about this time of year.

The magic isn’t necessarily in doing something extraordinary. Sometimes it’s in noticing how extraordinary the ordinary can feel.

So, What’s My Favorite Fall Tradition?

It’s not just one thing.

It’s the whole little ritual.

The windows are open.

There’s a pumpkin candle flickering somewhere nearby.

A Halloween movie is playing.

I’ve got a pumpkin spice latte in my hand.

Maybe Juggy is curled up somewhere close by, because obviously he needs to supervise the entire situation.

And for a little while, everything just feels…

cozy.

nostalgic.

magical.

October.

And maybe that’s exactly why I love this season so much.