The First Hint of Fall: Simple Ways to Make Your home Feel Cozy for the Season

It never fails that Labor Day comes and goes and I find myself ready for fall far before the weather feels it is time for the autumn vibes. What I am found with are piles of sweaters on ninety degree days, wishing I could decorate and celebrate fall in full fashion.

Instead what I tend to do is to start celebrating the new season with just a whisper. A hint there, a bit of decorating here.

I find that doing this in September helps me feel like I am getting ready for the season to come while still sitting in gratitude for the current weather and bounty of the lingering summer.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to gently welcome the season:

Tidy Up and Put Summer Away

The summer candles, the decorations, flip flops, beach towels…starting to make sure everything is still usable, cleaning what can be kept, and then properly storing everything will help ensure a fun summer next year and that you’ll feel excited to unpack the items you already own to use.

I keep our candle inventory in an old hoosier cabinet. When I’ve haphazardly tossed everything in there willy-nilly it makes it hard to see what I have. But putting the candles away with the soot wiped away, the lids placed on the correct jar, and the labels facing the front give me a feeling of shopping my own stash when it is time to select a summer candle.

Taking the time to take care of what I have makes me feel more grateful for each item when I come across them in storage.

Table Linens Take the Cake

The simple task of placing a fall tablecloth on a table really livens up any room. The dining table is so large that placing a fall themed cloth over it helps to solidify the decorating and gets me in the mood for the season.

At our cottage I threw a simple cotton table cloth over the small table on our porch. We purchased this tablecloth close to 25 years ago as newlyweds. The size of our dining table has grown, but I still find places to use this cloth.

It’s a basic piece that has stood the test of time and using it each year puts a smile on my face when I remember all of the memories this simple cloth holds.

Heavier Blankets for the Win

If you have summer blankets around, swapping them out for something a little heavier will put you in the mood for fall. Adding textures around the house helps welcome in the season, and I think of blankets like cardigans.

We’re not ready for full winter coats but something a little warmer will be nice to have around when the wind gets a chill in it.

Welcome Back Candles

I touched on the Candle Cupboard above, but I love the days I get to go to my cupboard and find a fall candle waiting for me that wasn’t burned completely the year before.

It’s like welcoming a friend back to my home.

I also love noticing a spot that sat empty of candles in the summer becoming a welcomed place for a little candle glow again.

At the cottage I nestled in a candle into a glass hurricane where I keep my sea glass collection. It’s a simple touch that offers a soft nod toward fall without packing away summer completely.

Bring Home the Apples

Apples are the perfect way to welcome in the season. Hardy, crisp, and refreshing on hot days, they become bursts of warm flavor when cooked on cooler days.

I love incorporating them into so many dishes: from turkey sandwiches with thin slices of apple, to apple cake, to throwing them into the crockpot for apple sauce: there are so many ways to enjoy them and help them bring the season indoors.

When not baking with them a bowl of apples is a cheery reminder to eat your fruit, and helps serve as a gorgeous display, whether on the counter or as a centerpiece.

Let the Season Arrive Slowly

Often days we are in such a rush we can’t wait to get to the next thing, including seasons.

Septembers help us to slow down and savor the time around us. We can look in anticipation for the fall but nothing we do will help bring down sweltering temperatures. So now is the perfect time to slow dance with the seasons by savoring what is around us, living in gratitude for what we have, and looking with hopeful anticipation for the next season to come.

Preparing the fall doesn’t have to mean buying all new decor pieces and a new wardrobe. It’s taking out bit by bit the goodness we have saved up from previous falls. It’s smiling when you pull out a piece of cloth or a certain candle, and feeling grateful that you get to use that. It’s living in gratitude for cozy blankets, apples, and that those things can be enough.