Every year I wish autumn away. I’ve always thought of it as the countdown to Christmas, the buildup to the main event. I hate all things spooky and I haven’t been out on Guy Fawkes in years, instead, I choose to snuggle with my terrified dog and watch the displays from my bedroom window.
This year I want to savour all the smells, tastes and activities while I get the chance. I actually love when the nights get darker and colder, when the heating gets turned on, when the fluffy socks come out and the hot chocolate starts to flow. Here’s a list of 20 things I want to do this autumn before the frost starts to glisten and the mayhem of Christmas begins…
1. Cuddle up with a hot water bottle & read The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking.
2. Buy a chunky tartan scarf/snood.
3. Start my Christmas shopping.
4. Decorate toffee apples.
5. Watch Hocas Pocas & Halloween Town.
6. Take a stroll through the woods with Alfie to collect leaves and conkers (any cliche blog prop for that matter).
7. Give the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte another try (is it as bad as I remember?)
8. Go to a bonfire & wave sparklers around.
9. Buy a Festive Spice Diffuser from Next & scented pine cones from Dobbies.
10. Attempt to bake an apple pie from scratch.
11. Visit a pumpkin patch (my Instagram feed will not be complete without a mini pumpkin)
13. Take a bath with the Lush Magic of Christmas bubble wand.
14. Buy a berry lipstick and actually wear it.
15. Drink mulled wine/hot Winter Pimms.
16. Buy a pair of Winter boots.
17. Make spicy butternut squash soup.
18. Visit the National Museum in Edinburgh.
19. Light cinnamon, clove and orange scented candles.
20. Countdown the days until the return of Gilmore Girls.
If I lived in America hay rides, Thanksgiving day parades, drive-in movies, and campfires would go straight to the top. The thing I’m most looking forward to is watching Alfie dive through a huge pile of orange and brown leaves or stepping on the crispy ones that shatter under my wellies; it’s the next best thing to stepping on newly fallen snow.
What’s on your ‘Autumn Bucket’ list this year?
