It Is Still Autumn

Including a Lesson on the Liturgical Year, Some of the Meals our Family is Enjoying this Season, and a Few Autumn Activities

This year in New Hampshire, it was over 70 degrees Fahrenheit on All Hallow’s Eve. I pushed my wagon full of toddlers around a lovely neighborhood in nothing but a knee-length dress and cardigan. My eldest was adorned only in playsilks, and the light jackets I packed “just in case” sat neglected in the car the entire night.

We only just moved to New Hampshire at the beginning of October, so our new friends made sure to tell us multiple times that this was the “nicest” Halloween they had ever experienced. But I knew. I grew up in southwest Michigan where it frequently snowed on Halloween. And while I haven’t lived there for over five years, you never forget those childish disappointments. The costume that felt like I spent hours thinking about and planning would be embarrassingly obscured by my Michelin man puffy jacket. I would end the night with a bag full of candy but a heart full of disappointment that my costume really didn’t matter so much after all. In that way, All Hallow’s Eve often felt like the end of autumn and the beginning of a long dark winter. In Michigan, the sun leaves in October and doesn’t come back out until May, if you’re lucky.

But this year, the unseasonably warm weather felt like we were on the precipice of opening to an eternal autumn. Maybe the leaves would last forever! With much of the US touched by this perfect sweater weather, I thought we were all on the same page. Well, imagine my surprise when the next morning I saw people posting about listening to Christmas music. “Wait!” I said. “I thought this year we would all let Thanksgiving be our goodbye to fall.” I’m not at all sure why I thought that, as people rush into Christmas every single year. They start celebrating November 1st, and then by the time December 26th rolls around they’re so tired of the magic and cheer that they decide there is none of that nonsense left for the remainder of the winter. Just as we’ve passed into true winter at the Winter Solstice, we’re giving up the beautiful greens and reds and wonderful music. Then we all just sort of wait around for Valentine’s Day, and then Ash Wednesday, but really for Easter. Well if we would just let autumn be autumn, Thanksgiving be its goodbye, and Advent be Advent, we could have a little more cheer to spread over the darkest and coldest days of the year… just saying. I hope to write a little how-to in the future, but just for pondering I want to share:

1. It is technically still autumn until the Winter Solstice (the official first day of winter) on December 21st. Until then our family will be continuing to read our autumn-themed books, watch autumn-themed movies, and eat our autumn-themed meals (some of which I’ll share below).

2. Advent begins on December 1st. It is a solemn season of readying oneself for the birth of Christ. It is like a mini-Lent, and it’s good to pick some things to fast from and save the more jolly and on-the-nose Christmas music for December 25th and beyond…

3. Speaking of which, Christmas starts on December 25th and goes until at least Epiphany on January 6th (hence: the twelve days of Christmas). Some people even celebrate it until Candlemas, on February 2nd. We wait to take our tree down until Candlemas!

So how is our family honoring this season that is still autumn? Today I want to share with you a few recipes, books, and activities we are enjoying this month to keep the autumnal spirit alive.

Recipes

• I started making this apple cider-braised pork shoulder (though so far I have just done it with pork chops and pork roast because apparently, you can only buy 5 lbs worth of pork shoulder at a time, which is too much for my family of four including a 1 and a 2-year-old). It’s perfect and delicious - but I have to say the bone-in pork chops worked out better than the roast.

• We have been enjoying this chicken pot pie recipe, except I boil the veggies in bone broth instead of water and I use the Trader Joe’s ready-made pie crusts. The crusts are crumbly and hard to assemble but worth it because they are so delicious!

• To help with blood sugar regulation I’ve been adding 1 Tbsp (or less) of apple cider vinegar to the Trader Joe’s Green Apple flavored sparkling water. I love this bubbly water and I always buy several cases at a time!

• Each night I’ve been enjoying the Trader Joe’s (do you see a theme?) Pumpkin Rooibos Tea that comes in an orange tin. With a splash of milk and some collagen, it satisfies my need for a tasty treat. If you don’t have blood sugar issues like I do then you can probably add a dash of maple syrup for added deliciousness.

Books

• One way we honor each seasoning is by only reading the “in-season” stories from our favorite books. The first example is that from the Autumn Equinox until the Winter Solstice we only read The Autumn Story and The High Hills from Brambly Hedge. Our whole family would agree that Brambly Hedge is our favorite. The world-building is masterful and the illustrations are delightful.

• Another book we do this with is the beloved Little Witch Hazel by Phoebe Wahl. This story features a spooky sound, helpful neighbors, and a little troll who just needs some company.

• Fletcher and the Falling Leaves was one of the first autumnal books I bought as a new mom, and it’s such a sweet and tender story that it has remained one of my favorites. I think this can be a great conversation starter about why trees lose their leaves in autumn.

• I am loving Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry right now, and I plan to pick up Planet Narnia by Michael Ward in preparation for reading Narnia with my women’s group next month. A dear friend recommend I read this book before I begin, so hopefully I will finish it in time!

Other Activities

• We spend a lot of time rolling around in leaves during this season. Embrace all the leaves in the hair (my girls have got crazy curls so I understand it can be a real hassle)! Embrace the baby finding a pile of dirt to roll around in. Embrace that somebody with try to eat and nearly choke on a leaf. Do not think about what bugs are hiding in the leaves. And be sure to make a thing of coming back inside for a warm drink like decaffeinated chai, cinnamon apple cider, or hot chocolate!

• We try to go on as many walks as possible during this season before it gets too dark and we make all kinds of excuses about the cold. Do not underestimate the power and influence of taking the same route multiple times a week or every day. It is so fun for children to notice how familiar spots are changing, and it gives you something to chat about to notice those changes.

• November is the time I spend getting ready for Christmas so that I can enter more fully into Advent. I am purchasing, assembling, and wrapping presents. I am thinking about our Advent playlist and our Christmas playlist. I am purchasing and putting away winter-themed teas and tasty treats.

• We are painting and repainting our pumpkins (thank you water-soluble paint).

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little encouragement to continue embracing autumn and suck the very marrow from it while you have the chance. Stay tuned for posts on what gear we are using to stay warm as the weather cools, how we will dive deep into Advent, as well as our Advent reading list!

Photo by Ekaterina Kasimova on Unsplash

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 
a time to be born, and a time to die;  
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  
a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;  a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; 
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 
a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  
a time to rend, and a time to sew;  a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  
a time to love, and a time to hate;  a time of war, and a time of peace.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, KJV