I love the fall season, the air is cooling, there is a mix of color on the trees, and it is also a season of hard-work and harvest. I have known these days quite well whenever I visited the family farm, they were incredibly busy. We had the opportunity to harvest and gather in preparation for the upcoming winter. I have many fond memories and the different celebrations that fall held, which is why it is my favorite season of all. Of all the things we could do, I compiled my seasonal favorite activities.
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We went to a fair
A great American past-time is to have a fair in the fall. Usually, fairs happen at the end of September to the beginning of October. I had my first experience with a significantly large fair when I was a child, one that was close to farming communities that congregate and showcase the “fruit of their labor”. This can range from animals to crops, or the fun aspects of training for competitions with livestock, tractors, trucks, and carnival games.
My family went to the fair in our area, which was on a Saturday afternoon and it seemed like entire communities poured this family-fun event. It also makes it easy for my children to see the different animals and putting on their “show-best”, and opportunities to pet the ones who really want attention. In our case, since we went later in the day, the animals were in process of bedding down and avoiding human contact whatsoever.
Our regional fair operated from Thursday through Sunday, and I had some thoughts about when to attend. I thought next time I’ll go on Thursday or Friday, to avoid the weekend evening crowds. I also thought if we do go on Saturday or Sunday, we attend early enough in the day. If we looked at the schedule in advance, we can also check out the competitions or shows available. Selecting the ones, we want to see would help us in getting there on-time and finding the best seats available. If we were brave enough to go on the carnival rides, to bring enough cash and exchange as appropriate.
We get to do apple picking
Did you know there are different varieties of apples? They tend to reach their ripeness through the middle of October, and make for a fun experience with the kids. You get to select the variety you would like, and teach your kids the different signs of fruit to pick. Depending on where you live, you might find orchards that support multiple varieties of apples that will end up in juices, pies, or just plain eating.
Corn mazes abound
Some farms have caught on to owning a farm stand and a few activities. I’ve been to a few in my area that will go through harvest and will possibly setup a corn maze, hay bale mazes, pumpkin picking, or sell farm-raised items in their farm stand. When I was in college in Ohio, I would go with several friends to a 10-acre corn maze. It was an awesome time to see the height of these stalks covering a very large area. For a bunch of college kids with no-sense of direction, it was fun to get lost for almost 2-hours with friends. If you’re out too late and it gets dark, find a warm beverage afterwards to think how you almost got too lost to leave.
Costumes for the family
Are you that close to Halloween? This is the time to either start shopping for that costume, wear the one from clearance last year, or design your own! Family themed costumes are fun to pull-off and will delight those who see the coordination. I am a personal advocate for handmade costumes because they wear longer, and can get passed down to the next kid, or to your neighbor! Stay tuned for more, we will definitely cover this.
The families are coordinating for holiday traveling
If you have not done so, Americans will travel by plane, car, or train to get home for the Holidays. Going through travel coordination or getting those tickets in a timely manner will help as they tend to get more expensive. In the past, I was able to observe travel habits when I worked in an Airport on Thanksgiving. The Wednesday before is the highest travelled day of the year, but Thanksgiving morning is lightly travelled. There is almost no congestion that morning to get where you need to go.
In America, Thanksgiving is the marks the end of harvest
I had to preface the American Thanksgiving, because it is celebrated throughout the world at different times. For example, Canada has their Thanksgiving at the beginning of October. Historically, the last Thursday of November was put into place during President Lincoln’s time in office. It was to commemorate the history of collecting our winter stores and feasting on the excess. This holiday is my favorite because there is plenty of food, football, napping, and the children playing games with each other. These past couple years, I have focused on doing a run or walk in the morning to anticipate the amount of food I am about to eat.
The cheer of holidays is uplifting among family and friends
In general, the Holiday season is a time of happiness and also giving. We have worked hard throughout the year and look forward to the much-needed break. Americans have several holidays during this period, and we certainly take advantage of all the opportunities we have available. If you are not anywhere close to family, you can always invite friends over to your house for celebrations and make a fun event. If you are the type of person who is not used to hosting, make sure you invite a bit more people, because you might have last minute cancellations and too much food.
Americans can finally clash over which football team is the best
Or, do you wait until the baseball playoffs and see who will win the World Series? Baseball and football overlap this time of year and sports are a favorite to discuss as a distraction from the mundane topics that drag us down. American football, the gridiron, the clash of an offense and defensive line that is fighting for a ball. We see this sport run through the winter months, and enjoy the multiple elements of teamplay that make this such a great sport. This sport is hotly contested over plenty dinner tables on overall performance and chance towards the Superbowl.
Conclusion
In all, the fall season is definitely one of my favorites because it resembles a good change, and fun reflections. Living in northern climates allow me to see the change in our trees and moving into colder months that have plenty of short-days and fond memories. Since this was a good reflection in my past, I think it is important to pass on the blissful memories and make great ones for a young family.
How much do you care for your family and friends? Do you invite them over for plenty of home-cooked meals and play some board games? Do you have special holidays that you love celebrating at this time of year? How far out do you start planning these events with your family? Don’t forget to leave your comments below the post, and share among your friends. We would like to hear back from their if they share the same interest as you!
