Traditions are one of the things that mark special occasions and different times of the year. These traditions can be big or small, grand or simple, new or old. They are kind of like the thread that weaves together the year...starting with New Year's Day on January first and ending on New Year's Eve on December 31st. And then the circle begins again as another year rolls around. Even though the year on the calendar is different, the traditions are still the same. They are our anchors and our roots, they are the things that tell bits of our story, both as individuals and as families, and sometimes, even as a collective whole as a country, or even the world. To ignore or neglect tradition, is to ignore and neglect the special moments that life offers us amidst the ordinary. They, quite simply, turn the ordinary into something magical and meaningful and rich with memories, both in remembering the past and simultaneously making new memories in the present moment.
Ever since I was a little girl, I've love traditions. Most of our traditions seemed to center around December and Christmastime, and as I got older, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to mark other times of the year with special traditions, too. Today I wanted to invite you into our family traditions during autumn. Most of these are done yearly, without fail and with much excitement, and a couple of them are done depending on each year's schedule and goings on.
As with any cozy chat, especially about something as delightful as traditions, I encourage you to pour a cup of something deliciously warming and settle in with your favorite blanket. Ready? Let's begin...
Cozy Teatime
This sort of teatime is quite simple, as it's just for those of us who live in our home. We settle in at our kitchen table, light some candles, dim the lights, and enjoy a variety of yummy foods that were prepared ahead of time. We just enjoy each other's company, chatting away and laughing and nibbling on our feast. Typically, we choose 3 appetizer/snacky foods for our savouries, 3 sweet treats and a scone, to round things off. And, of course, we have some sort of herbal, seasonally flavored tea.
Another variation of this is to have a snacky dinner. We love choosing a movie to watch in the evening and dining on a few appetizer/snacky foods for our dinner. This is fun anytime, but when it's cold outside, and we're bundled up in warm clothing (sometimes pjs) and nestled under a blanket, there's nothing like nibbling on yummy finger foods and watching a favorite movie.
Autumn Bread Baking Day
I've been collecting recipes since I was a young teenager, so I've got quite a collection. Some of my most favorites are seasonal (big shocker there, right?). And autumnal breads are some of the most fun things to bake on those early evenings when the air is cool and crisp. I don't do a big baking day every year, but I do enjoy seasonal baking in some way every year. When I do a big baking day, we always send some to our friends or neighbors, as well as put plenty in the freezer for later dates when we're craving something but don't feel like baking.
A Hobbit Day Dinner
Last year we enjoyed our very first Hobbit Day Dinner. We feasted on a comforting dinner that seemed quite hobbity to us and, of course, a wonderfully delectable dessert, too. All by candlelight with our three little hobbit friends joining us on their tree stump. There's nothing fancy or elegant about anything we do...that's completely not our style. We're much more of the casual, comfortable, down-home style, and I think that is reflected in all of our traditions. If you want fancy, you're in the total wrong place! Our Hobbit Day celebration is one of our favorites!
A Homey, Grown Up Halloween
During my sister's and my teenage years, after we'd grown up from trick-or-treating, we didn't do much for Halloween. Yeah, we watched Halloween movies and whatnot, but Halloween just wasn't a big deal anymore. When I reached my twenties, I decided NO MORE! Halloween doesn't just get to be a big thing or get to be celebrated by little kids. Adults can have a good time too...good, clean fun, mind you. I'm well aware that a lot of indecent activities are associated with Halloween, but not here. We're all about cozy and fun...so we have ourselves a homey Halloween. Every year, we carve a jack-o'-lantern, light candles, feast on a comforting meal (usually chili), some sort of bread, use our Harry Potter glasses for our juice, and enjoy a festive dessert, usually something with pumpkin or cinnamon rolls. We watch our favorite Halloween movies and drink tea or hot chocolate out of our seasonal mugs and it's the most fun. Who said you can't have Halloween fun as a grown up?
Soup and Bread Sundays
Unlike the other traditions here, this is a weekly event. I began this weekly ritual about six or seven years ago, after being inspired by a book I read. Soups are one of our favorite meals this time of year and I love baking bread and Sundays are a lazy, cozy, homey, relaxing day at the end of the weekend, so why not make something special with these three? Soup and Bread Sundays became our thing after that. I love making a huge pot of simmering soup (or stew, chili, etc.) in the early afternoon and let it slowly cook on low all evening, while the bread (or rolls, biscuits, etc.) is baking. Then we sit down and enjoy a yummy, warming meal together. Better yet is that we have leftover soup for the week's lunches, which is very nice, indeed.
First Day of Autumn Celebration Dinner
This is another tradition that I began a handful of years ago, and one that we haven't missed since. This meal is our welcoming of the cozy season once again. It is for this meal that I bring out all my recipes that I only cook and bake at this time of year. This is when they get their yearly return to my recipe rotation. Each year what I cook is different, but it's always a meal that is seasonal and warming and comforting. This is also when I begin baking seasonally flavored desserts, such as cinnamon rolls, which was this year's choice. Sometimes, because of how the days fall, Hobbit Day is the same day as the first of Autumn, as with this year, so then, we just combine the two and have a grand feast. No matter what, it's marvellous!
Host a Friends Autumn Tea Party
This is the other tradition that we don't do every year. But some years, depending on schedules and goings on, we invite our friends over for an autumnal tea party. I stick to my regular tea menu of 3 savouries, 3 sweets, 1 scone, and some sort of seasonal tea blend. I make nearly everything the day before, so on the day of, all I have to do is set everything up, make the tea, assemble sandwiches, etc., and then enjoy the occasion.
As you can see, these traditions are all centered around our table. We are homebodies who love being at home, doing things at home, and truly loving our home. We are also a family who loves to cook and bake and try new recipes and just have fun in the kitchen. We also live in a place that doesn't offer any seasonal events or activities, nor do we live in an area that has much to offer in terms of nature outings, which really saddens us. Nature and artsy things and seasonal outings, which are things that greatly appeal to us, aren't things that are a priority or valued where we live. We do go to things that sound fun that aren't too far from home, and then, we do go on little getaways here and there. But those are the reasons why the traditions you read about today are centered around our table.
When my dad was alive, football was a BIG thing in our home. Saturdays were filled with the sounds of games in the background and of him cheering and yelling at the TV. I would always make snacks and nibbles for football Saturdays. (He didn't like pro-football, so it was only college football in our house.) While I'm not a football fan, I did love what it felt like in our home on game days with snacks and a chilled-out vibe...except when my dad got super excited and shouted his hoorah! We still put on the game sometimes just for memories' sake, and you'll find me wearing the team colors through the season as well...it's part of how I grew up and what I know. Even these little things are tradition and fun.
I hope you enjoyed this little peek into our autumn traditions...I didn't even get to Thanksgiving, which is the same every year and has been since I was very young. But, if you can't already tell, I love traditions, and they are very dear to me. And the best part is, you can always begin a new one and before you know it, you'll be looking forward to it every year!
If you want to read more about some of these yearly delights, I've shared quite a number of posts in the past on many of the things I shared here today.
Do let me know some of your autumn traditions! I'd love to hear all about them!