Smell that delicious scent in the air? Oh yeah. It smells like pumpkin spice, cinnamon, fresh air, paperback books, and rain. Because it is officially fall, my friend. I love the fall season, but somehow I never slow down enough to enjoy it. I get busy and waste time rushing around to get things done, and then by the time Christmas rolls around I wonder… What happened to autumn? Do you ever feel like that? Like you’re so excited for this season, but you get too busy to fully immerse yourself in the experience. If you feel like the fall flies by too quickly, then you’re gonna love this list of 101 little ways to romanticize fall this season.
After reading this post, you’ll have 101 fun ways you can romanticize autumn, no matter what your budget is. This list has free activities, low budget activities, and a couple that are a bit more indulgent. No matter what your budget is or how much time you have on your hands, this list will give you some great ideas for fall activities that let you feel like a kid again.
Pssst! Pin this to look back on later! ↓
Now let’s dive into 101 fun little ways to romanticize fall like you’re a kid again.
How to romanticize fall this year: 101 fall ideas
- Collect dry leaves and put them in your journal
- Go on nature walks
- Wear more flannel, skirts, tights, and knit sweaters
- Make your house smell like fall (candles that smell like chai, cinnamon, apple, clove, etc.)
- Bake an apple pie or pumpkin pie just for fun
- Have a cozy movie night with popcorn, hot cider, and snuggle up under a huge pile of blankets
- Create a cozy reading area in your house and settle in with a good book
- Sprinkle cinnamon into your morning coffee
- Go to a pumpkin patch
- Roast pumpkin seeds
- Go to a cafe on a rainy day to read or people watch
- Make caramel apples
- Thrift some cute fall accessories, like scarves, hats, boots, or even home decor
- Make homemade pumpkin chai from scratch
- Play cozy fall music in your home
- Invite friends over for a fall-themed “home cafe” experience. Put out menus with drink options like Pumpkin Latte, Spiced Mocha, Apple Cider, or Cinnamon Matcha.
- Visit the mountains with friends to smell the pine trees, feel the crisp air, and have an excuse to take cute fall Polaroids together
- Make homemade fall potpourri
- Host a potluck with friends
- Make gingerbread cookies (these can be fun to hand out to your favorite baristas, neighbors, co-workers, etc.!)
- Pile blankets and pillows in the back of a pickup truck and go stargazing with someone special
- Paint your nails with a fall-themed color palette
- Create a fall bucket list of everything you want to do during the autumn season
- Read a book that puts you in the fall spirit (like Harry Potter!)
- Get some fall flowers from Trader Joe’s and place them in vases around your house
- Create a fall Pinterest mood board
- Go to a cider tasting with friends
- Have a Superbowl party with tons of snacks and friends
- Go on nature walks and collect cute little nature finds along the way, like mushrooms, pine cones, pretty leaves, or little stones
- Take a bunch of aesthetic fall Polaroid photos and put them up in your room (think pumpkins, hot chocolate, candles, flannel, books, a cat, leaves, etc.)
- Wear a flannel shirt
- Grab a sketchbook and sit outside at a park. Sketch the things you see or sketch the things that make you think of fall.
- Make hot apple cider
- Work on perfecting your homemade pumpkin spice latte
- Decorate your bedroom with fall decor
- Go to a hay bale maze with friends
- Write letter to the friends you want to keep in touch with
- Add cinnamon to your coffee
- Bake something for your neighbors
- Have a bonfire
- Go camping with a group of friends and make s’mores
- Make apple butter
- Sit inside on a rainy day and read a book by the window
- Do something your inner child loves to do
- Buy a cute container from a thrift store and make a homemade candle
- Swap out all your perfumes and lotions for fall-scented products
- Buy cute fall socks
- Host a Gilmore Girls – themed get-together with your girl friends (think: lots of coffee, junk food, Bop-It, old movie marathon, sparkly and eclectic decor/accessories, Chinese takeout – you get it)
- Try fantasy football to get into the sport (if you’re not already)
- Do the ghost-painting trend to spice up your fall decor
- Put a fall wallpaper on your phone
- Browse my fall aesthetics post for inspo on how to upgrade your fall wardrobe or home decor
- Do a puzzle or have a board game night
- Drape warm-colored fairy lights around your home
- Wear something made of corduroy
- Bake fresh bread
- Visit a winery
- Cut out pictures from magazines and make a fall mood board
- Turn your bedroom into a cozy haven with lots of soft blankets and pillows
- Go thrift shopping for a scarf or cozy fall colored sweater
- Fill a thermos with hot tea and have an outdoor reading day on a picnic blanket or park bench
- Plan some cute fall outfits you feel good in
- Make cinnamon rolls
- Re-read your favorite childhood books (my favorite was always Inkheart or The Chronicles of Narnia!)
- Get a cute pumpkin mug for your hot chocolate or coffees
- Have an autumn picnic (apple slices, cheese, pumpkin squares, turkey sandwiches, etc.)
- Start a fall journal and fill it with your fall bucket list, books to read, movies to watch, fall playlists, and what you’re looking forward to in this season
- Start a scrapbook. You can fill it with movie ticket stubs, pretty leaves, scraps of cloth, photographs, football game tickets, and anything else that holds memories or good feelings for you.
- Light all the candles in your house and have a no-light-bulb night at home
- Switch your hair color to auburn, chocolate brown, or any other fall color that complements you
- Make fall mocktails – flavors like cranberry, cinnamon, cloves, citrus, etc. would all work great
- Go to a drive-in movie
- Carve pumpkins
- Host a wine and paint night with friends
- Buy some plain coffee mugs and paint cute fall symbols or quotes on them
- Make a homemade fall-themed bookmark
- Go on a bike ride
- Watch a spooky movie
- Host a costume party
- Make mulled wine or sangria
- Use fall scented essential oils in your oil diffuser to make the house smell festive
- Learn to make the perfect flakey pie crust
- Get a coffee, visit a bookstore, and pick out a new book (cause you deserve it). Then sit and read a while.
- Go horseback riding
- Go to Oktoberfest and dress up in a traditional German-inspired outfit
- Have a cozy date night in with someone special, and get cuddled up in front of the fire
- Go on a hayride
- Host a Friendsgiving
- Take cute fall photos or Polaroids
- Start a cozy mystery book club with friends (this can be done in-person or virtually if your friend group is like mine and is spread all around the country)
- Paint or sketch your ideal fall day
- Have a slow morning instead of rushing out the door
- Make a fall wreath for your front door
- Print up some cute fall quotes from Pinterest to use as wall art in your room
- Create a fall scavenger hunt to do with your friends and family
- Host a costume party
- Wake up early to soak in a foggy, cold morning that feels straight out of Twilight
- Write poetry, even if you’re not very good at it (roses are red, most pumpkins are orange, poetry is hard… pumpkins.)
- Write notes in the margins of your favorite book by candlelight
- Get your pets cute fall sweaters or collars
- Slow down, be in the moment, and enjoy being alive in a world where there are autumns, because this world is straight-up magic
Why should you romanticize fall?
Here’s why I think it’s so important to romanticize fall: Because romanticizing every season makes life feel more exciting and magical overall.
Personally, I think any chance to romanticize something — be it a season, your daily commute to work, studying at your desk, etc. — just makes you feel happier.
Think about it. Trying to rush straight through fall to get to Christmas (or even Thanksgiving, even though it happens in fall) just rushed you past weeks, even months of your life!
We’re never going to get this time back. Sure, fall comes back every year, but why not romanticize it right now while we’re here?
Slow down. Enjoy the season. Get romantic about it. Fall in love with the season all over again, like you’re a little kid who rakes the leaves up on the lawn just so he can jump in the pile.
Sending you love and good vibes, friend.
xo Sav
