Catching that Holiday Spirit

The holy trinity of holiday months are here people. October for Halloween, November for Thanksgiving, and December for the winter holidays. Don't blink too fast or you might just miss it. With so much happening, I wanted to make sure to slow down and appreciate it all.

Though there's no denying summer's vibrant and fun energy, I will say I am definitely a fall girl. The older I get the more I realize this. Summer was the best as kid because no school. However, now that I'm a young adult and there is no such thing as summer breaks, I realize it's just me working in ridiculously hot temperatures. You might be saying, Jules, that sounds super negative. But hey don't get me wrong! There are manyyy perks to summertime. That's just not what this post is about.

Fall. Ahh yes, fall. Cool, crisp air in the mornings. Cozy sweaters at night. Apple cider and cinnamon donuts. Pumpkin spice lattes. Football...

All is well. Nothing says "cozy" like fall and cozy is all I ever want to be. (Well, not ALL I want to be because then I would never get anywhere in life but you get the point).

Fall is here and coming from the Midwest I absolutely know what a real fall feels like. The leaves turn orange and brown and fall from the trees. As a kid we could rake them up and actually make leaf piles to jump in. I always remember turning onto my street and looking down at the colorful trees lining behind my house as the sun sets. My dad would set out our Halloween decorations and I would pull into the driveway knowing it was time to relax (very fortunate for that). Ohio fall nights, a GOOD Ohio fall night, is cool enough to have a fire in the backyard. Sipping on tea and trying not to get bit up by the mosquitoes (but accepting it anyways).

Yeah, that was the shit. My bread and butter. I've been so tested these past few years that the fall vibes got lost a little bit. This year, however, I'm feeling like I've grown into my California skin a bit more and can sloww dowwnnn to make time for sweet moments.

Now that I am an adult, I appreciate all the efforts my parents put in to be festive. I'm starting to see how important it is to plan out certain things to make it feel special. Buying and setting up the decorations for example. Planning family parties and celebrating fall birthdays. Getting costumes together for Halloween night. Planning out an ENTIRE Thanksgiving meal. It takes work! Though I am past my prime of getting to relax and enjoy the efforts of my parents (lol), putting the work in myself is fun because I feel proud after for throwing it together.

Since California has beautiful weather all year round, I feel like I have to pay extra attention to get the same fall feelings I did as a kid. Not too much, but just make sure I seek out holiday events to be a part of. LA doesn't have too many pumpkin patches comparable to Ohio (homeland of the farms), but it does have fun events happening all over town! A friend and I just went to "The Night of the Jacks" which is what was pictured in my latest Instagram post. This is a 3/4 mile stretch of festive lights and Halloween set ups on a ranch in Calabasas. There are food trucks, a couple of games, and even a "spookeasy" for the adults. It was really fun! As the website states, it's a place for people of all ages and isn't too scary for the kids. Everything was great- my only constructive criticism is that they should offer apple cinnamon donuts... now that would be the cherry on top.

No matter where you live, it's important to soak up the fall vibes and begin to slow down for the year if you can. Be proud of all that you've accomplished this year and finish strong! The end of the year is close. We got this.

Now it's time to start getting a Halloween costume together... 👀

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I want to take a second to point out that I am very fortunate to be talking about "slowing down" and "getting cozy". I say this because I know other parts of the world don't have that luxury. I've been feeling it in my heart & just wanted to acknowledge🫶