Garage-sailing
Fall to me is the perfect time to go IRL thrifting. As it coincides, many neighborhood yard or garage sales happen at exactly the same time. It is absolutely worth it to look up if there’s anything upcoming in your area.
I usually have the best and most affordable finds at garage sales. The people just want to get rid of their old junk, and another man’s trash… Plus points if the neighborhood hosting the sale is relatively well-off! You can go home with literal heaps of treasure that are sold faaaar below market value if you’re lucky and up for the hunt.
Beyond that, I feel like falltime is absolutely perfect for flea market thrifting because you’re not melting in the heat or catching a sunburn. This way you get to actually try on all the things you want, and it just feels so jolly and cozy strolling through the streets, catching glimpses of gorgeous backyards you wouldn’t normally visit, smelling the coffee and waffles that almost all the stalls offer, and basking in the sweet, crisp autumn air.
Do Land Art or Build Fairy Houses in the Woods
One thing I definitely want to do once temperatures cool off and there are fewer mosquitoes underway is to head to the prettiest part of my local forest and get creative with materials provided by nature.
As a kid, I loooved building tiny huts and nests from sticks and moss, and to this day I find it so beautiful to arrange nature’s treasures into mandalas or little pieces of art. All without disturbing the ecosystem by bringing in anything from the outside world.
A real fairy and goblin creature kingdom!
Over the Garden Wall Sing-Along
To everyone who loves the show as much as I do: this is genuinely the greatest time!
I am into karaoke and just generally singing together a lot, and what better way to connect my two loves than with a fall-themed sing-along with good friends?
The best part about it: it’s free.
There’s a bunch of YouTube karaoke OTGW videos, and you don’t need anything but speakers, a place to gather, and warmed-up vocal cords. If you make it through every song in the show until the very end, you have my respect!
It’s one of my favourite ways of engaging in fandom that doesn’t include spending or consumption.
DIY Your Halloween Costume!
Can we agree that just shopping for a ready-made costume is kinda lame? Like, no shade, but I don’t think anyone should go out and buy something they’re gonna wear on exactly one day and then never again.
Besides, it is so much genuine fun putting together a closet cosplay, maybe thrifting some pieces that go with it but are wearable with more utility.
And then the best part: DIY little bits and pieces that make it true to your chosen character!
I won’t get into it too deep, but one can truly elevate any closet cosplay by adding handmade elements. This could be even more of a blast if you team up with friends and make the crafting a happening.
Mayhaps you can even come up with a group costume?
Perfect Autumn Picture Hunt
I do this way too seldom, but one thing on my list that I absolutely have to do the upcoming fall season is to go out on a photography spree!
Germany has so many gorgeous natural and architectural sights, and they really shine most in fall. I’m thinking I want to take some spooky cathedral photos in the rain, maybe take more pretty ones of the woods, fallen leaves and mushrooms, and find some good comfort treats to take pictures of too.
Just a whole day of wandering around and collecting pretty little moments.
Scrapbook Time!
My craftsy fall item this year, much as in most other years, is to work on my 2026 photo scrapbook.
Since the year has progressed quite a bit by October/November but there’s still some time until New Year, that’s when I usually get to work on my photo albums, curating some memories of the past year.
Having a lovely creative album to leaf through is truly one of the most magical things to do with my loved ones for the passing seasons.
It also has something incredibly cozy to it, to scrap alone merrily at home in my little arts and crafts cave.
Everything Stew Related
A bit specific, but whenever the cooler season rolls around, I just get so nostalgic for all the fantasy and adventure novels, movies, and games I have come to love in my life.
Something that deeply connects me to the protagonists and their journeys is to make a huge, hot Everything stew with tender meat and veggies.
In my head, every true adventurer is nonstop, only ever eating stew made in a pot over an open bonfire, enjoyed in a wooden bowl with trusty companions.
Not only, however, does stew have that magical fantasy element to it. It’s also just such a great cold-weather pick-me-up that keeps the colds and flus away for as long as possible.
I really hope to make big batches of my favourite stew this fall so I can freeze some for busy times in winter when I desperately need it but don’t have the energy for cooking.
I suppose stews just give me stupendous amounts of comfort and security.
Pick Out Your Scent for Fall
Lastly, a thing that I am unfortunately very much guilty of is getting the perfect scented candle for the fall season.
It really has to be perfect and not too impertinent because I am going to light it all fall season long.
While summers are generally not quite right for candles and in winter everything smells like Christmas anyways, that window of September, October, and November is just perfect to brighten the days with a comforting smell.
I also like how this really helps set a certain feeling for a time period of my year. It’s a bit like an intro theme song but with smell, I guess?
Yup.
The hunt for a good-smelling candle is absolutely an item on every one of my fall lists and something I’m extremely excited about.
One of the best parts of it is having a candle-smelling date night to choose the right one together. These usually also include a cinema trip afterwards, which is just the double whammy of wholesomeness.
Have a Hobbit Walk
In case you’re cool, you like Hobbits (it’s me, I like Hobbits).
In case your friends are cool, they are willing to dress up in their finest medieval or Hobbit-like armour, step outside the door with you, and go on an adventure.
The adventure in question being hiking the fields and woods on a sunny fall afternoon, fully enrobed and with hearty Hobbit snacks on hand.
This activity gets infinitely better under the influence of a sparring session with practice swords or, in lack of those, roadside sticks.
This is actually something I’ve come up with very early this year. Then it had about 100 degrees outside all summer, and now the idea has finally resurfaced, once the days became cooler and my gorgeous green wool cloak started teasing me about not even wearing it once this year, by menacingly blocking a good section of my closet.
But being entirely serious now, I would absolutely love to go on a Hobbit hike with as many of my friends as possible this year.
The vibes of such functions are simply immaculate, and the pictures are usually something gorgeous to remember the event by.
I’m actually considering this for my birthday activity, so maybe it’s gonna happen?
Temporary Crafting
A simple fall activity that I am super nostalgic about is crafting little things out of chestnuts, pretty leaves, or pinecones.
Those normally don’t last for long, but I think that’s part of the appeal.
Specifically, little woodsy creatures are a favourite of mine. Like the ones every kid made in preschool, had standing on the windowsill for a little bit until they looked absolutely shrivelled and decrepit and then miraculously disappeared, replaced by some new decor.
The passing of seasons is so lovely and such an important part of life in general. It only feels right to celebrate it with decor that’s temporary as well.
Potion Brewing
Lastly, a matter of making an absolute mess of everything!
Did you know that you can “brew potions” at home? With anything?
This is another one best enjoyed in good company. I am planning on gathering a lovely array of teas, lemonades, juices, and other funky liquids, selecting an array of funky “boba-like” items and ingredients, and then getting to mixing.
Drinking alcohol, to me, is not much of a usual activity, and the taste itself is just not enjoyable to me, which is why I’d rather just get a few cups down and enjoy the after-effects.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun mixing drinks though, right?
They’re just gotta be without alcohol!
And what better time than spooky season?!
It gets better and better the fancier your glasses, straws, and whatnot are. If some of your friends are into it, maybe get some creepy candy too.
Either way, you are in for a hell of a fun party time, and although cleanup is gonna be rough, at least you won’t be hungover for it.