autumn rituals | no. 27
Autumn is my favorite season. Perhaps it’s simply because the weather starts to cool from hot and humid to cool and windswept. I’ve part of me that believes it to be even deeper. For me, autumn represents letting things go and starting afresh. Really, any season can hold this, any day. There is something about autumn, the cooler change, the school year getting underway, and preparations for spending time with family over the cold months ahead that make autumn a restorative season for my spirit. Today, I want to share with you my favorite autumn rituals, some old and some new. I hope this season brings excitement and energy for the months ahead and that these little rhythms and rituals enrich your season of slowing down. Grab a cup of tea and cozy up for this autumn slow-living read.
There are 3 categories I find myself focusing on at the beginning of autumn. Deep cleaning, rhythms, and organization.
deep cleaning
Before you enter the season of slow and cozy, it’s important to do some deep cleaning. Now, if you clean regularly, maybe you don’t need this as much as the rest of us. However, with the bulk of summer spent outdoors and attending parties and sporting events, our homes can become neglected. We are about to spend quite a bit more time indoors as things move into freezing temperatures, so let’s make sure you aren’t choking on dust bunnies and staring at clutter.
top-down cleaning and diy natural cleaner
I like to clean top-down. Clean the tallest thing first and as dust falls from there, you can clean the next layer and so on without ruining your work. Here are a few of the things I like to use to get a deep clean in the most sneaky (and obvious) areas of my home that get away from me).
rug/carpet cleaner: combine a little mason jar or bowl of baking soda with 5-10 drops of your choice of essential oil. mix with a fork until blended. sprinkle this mixture over your rugs and carpets. let it sit for 30 minutes and then vacuum. it disinfects, neutralizes odor, and adds a lovely fragrance from the essential oils.
sink scrub: for the drain, pour about 1/3 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of vinegar into the drain. it bubbles satisfyingly and kills all the nasty smells in your drain. then sprinkle baking soda into your sink basin and add 2 drops of lemon essential oil. let it sit for 15-30 minutes. Then scrub and rinse with water. if there is baking soda residue left over, rinse with a splash of vinegar.
scrub walls and windows: my grandmother at the beginning of fall and spring would move all her furniture and scrub the walls. i’ll be the first to admit that i haven’t cleaned this way in my adult life yet and i’ve let living nomadically be my excuse. however, here we are in a hotel over the seasonal change again and i’m determined to scrub the walls with a little dish soap and water because who knows if that’s even part of hotel staff cleaning protocol?
declutter and donate: declutter items you no longer need. now is a great time to go through summer and spring items you wear/use and see what gets to stay. it’s also helpful to delcutter things that won’t work for autumn or winter, so you only start with what you love and use. one helpful tip here is to donate right away. don’t let the decluttered items sit in boxes around your home. donate them as soon as you’re able and enjoy the fresh space.
rearrange: i find rearranging to be extremely satisfying and motivating, especially when starting a new season, autumn or otherwise. freshen up your space by changing up your furniture. even something as simple as changing how your books are arranged on a shelf can give you unexpected energy.
bring out colder gear: lastly in cleaning for autumn, bring out your colder gear (if you live in a northern or non-temperate climate like myself). now is the perfect time to pack away the swim gear and make sure boots, gloves, hats, and coats are all accessible when that colder weather snap inevitably happens.
rhythms
Find your autumn rhythm by trying these few things that inspire me every time.
get outdoors: strangely, i find myself wanting to be outside even more than in summertime because the humidity here is normally gone. i go out of our hotel just to sit on a blanket with my daughter. we hike, ride bikes, go to the park, eat meals outside. the weather won’t allow all of these activities in the north during the winter, so i try to soak it up as much as possible.
candlelight: i love candlelight. it adds such coziness and warmth to a space. plus, it reminds me of pride and prejudice and who doesn’t want to be reminded of that? i can’t really light candles in our hotel room, so i “light” my diffuser which looks almost like a flickering candle. it’s relaxing and puts nice fragrance into the air.
books: i love to read and i love looking at books on a shelf. this is the perfect time to bring out any seasonally-specific books. i do this particularly with my daughter’s books as it’s really fun for her to have themed books on her shelf at home. i also use this time to set out books that i know i’d like to read this season or books i intend to finish but just haven’t made the time for. i put them within easy reach throughout the house so i’m more likely to snap one up and read it.
handicrafts: handicrafts is a term i learned from charlotte mason. one should always be focusing on some form of handicraft to keep our minds and souls satisfied. autumn is the perfect time for sewing, knitting, crocheting, baking, weaving, woodworking, etc. try something new, learn alongside your child, teach your child a skill you haven’t picked up in a while, or pick up something you’re gifted at!
organization
For this part of organization, I don’t mean buying organizing bins or even organizing your stuff. That should all be handled in decluttering for the most part. Here, I want to focus on your lifestyle organization. So often, it seems weekends get booked up, we never have any down time, and before you know it, it’s Christmas and we forgot to find a gift for Uncle Dan. This is the time I love to make holiday plans (don’t hate, it’s not rushing, it’s preparing so we aren’t rushed haha!) and plan the things I want to make room for during the season. If it’s already down, I’ll be less likely to replace it with something less rewarding.
holiday plans: plan where will your holidays take place this year? are you hosting? do you have what you need? will you be bringing food to another’s home? do you want to take any vacation over the holidays? do you want to handmake any gifts this year? give yourself time to be prepared for food and gift preparation so there’s no rush when the holidays arrive.
schedule field trips/important events/social dates: i also like to utilize the beginning of autumn for scheduling in field trips we want to take as a family, any important events like birthdays/dr. appointments/etc., and seeing friends and family outside of holiday gatherings. this could be short little coffee dates or all-day get-togethers. however you plan it, you’re more likely to do it if it’s on the calendar in advance.
rest: how often do we schedule rest? sometimes it seems if there’s a blank space on the calendar, it means it can be filled. let’s save you from being burnt out and over-extended by scheduling rest to your week/month/season. “sorry, i can’t. i’m resting that day.” some of you are cringing at that because how could you say no when you’re…doing…nothing? but i’ve found this to be so important lately. specifically since my husband’s job has him working 12 days on, 2 days off, it’s hard for me to even know what day of the week it is. to remedy this lately, regardless of my husband’s work schedule, we take a sabbath day. we do our best to get everything done (working out, school, work projects, errands) monday through saturday and rest on sunday. it seems insignificant, but it is so hugely important for not getting to a place of burnout and wondering why you’re always so busy. now, my husband and i have a unique situation in that we aren’t always with family or community during most of the month so taking a sabbath day is easy. you can clarify what your sabbath rest looks like. maybe dinner with extended family is part of your sabbath or some other social event that is important to you. just remember that the goal with a rest day is to reset for the week ahead, remember the Lord, and restore your soul with nourishing ‘nothingness’.
that’s all, folks
I hope this post has been helpful and that you’ve come away with ways to slow down and spend autumn refreshed, restored, and excited about the season to come. Autumn is my favorite and these rituals make it that way. Let me know what you do to welcome autumn in your home and yourself. I’d love to hear how you live slowly during these beautiful months.
lots of love,
m