It’s Fall ~ I just love Autumn ! The past week or so has been gorgeous weather in the Chicago area … warm sunny days in the low 70’s and cool crisp evenings in the low 60’s — Everywhere you go, you see apples and pumpkins … it’s so fun spending an afternoon apple picking; enjoying the activities at a local pumpkin farm; or going for a hayride. I love laid-back evenings just sitting by a relaxing bonfire sipping hot apple cider 🙂

I also love the autumn color palette; so many shades of gold, orange, rust, red and brown. The garden centers and pumpkin farms are stocked with harvest inspired decorations.

Do you decorate in the fall?? Indoors or out?? Do you decorate for Halloween or Thanksgiving or both??

When my kids were younger, I would put out decorations for Halloween. I was never a big fan of gory stuff, so our decorations consisted mostly of smiling jack-o-lanterns, cute black cats, friendly ghosts, and many of their past art projects. As they grew older there were often discussions (sometimes heated) over costume choices … I didn’t care for gory bloody hatchets or zombies 🙁   I know (I’ve heard it many times) I’m a mean mom .. Oh well!

The day after Halloween, I would put out the Thanksgiving decor. I switched out jack-o-lanterns for pumpkins, black cats for turkeys and ghosts for pilgrims. The art projects changed to a flock of turkeys made from hand prints (several years worth) 🙂

As my kids got older, I started getting rid of the more cutesy decorations and combined the two holidays into one fall / harvest season. I don’t display their grade school artwork anymore, but I do reminisce and cherish the memories when I’m unpacking the storage bins <3. I would concentrate on fall type items and only have a few strictly Halloween / Thanksgiving pieces. Then on November 1^st, I’d trade out those pieces.

Now that my kids are grown, and don’t really care much, I pretty much skip the Halloween / Thanksgiving specific decorations and concentrate on Autumn as a season.  My outdoor decorations feature pumpkins and gourds, bales of hay, corn stalks, scarecrows and mums. I like it to have a harvest feel … as I’m starting to put my garden to bed for the winter.

Indoors, I like using long strands of garland made of gorgeous silk fall leaves and sunflowers. I weave little white lights and gold tulle into them, and swag them in my doorways. I have many, many pumpkins made from wood, fabric or ceramics placed on shelves and tables throughout the house. I also love burning candles … my favorite scents for fall are apple cinnamon and spiced pumpkin. I have fall inspired throws on the backs of all my easy chairs. I love to make my home feel warm and cozy as we transition from “living” outdoors during the summer to “hibernating” indoors for the long winter months to come 🙂

Leave a comment telling me some of your favorite activities and/or decorating ideas for fall 🙂

Tracy Helps You would love to help you decorate … we can put our heads together to create something you’ll love.