Fall is my favorite season. I love the crisp weather, the changing leaves, and the warm, comforting flavors and smells associated with autumn. Like all of my favorite seasons, I have many memories and traditions associated with fall.
Read Jane Austen
Something about fall just makes me want to read Jane Austen. I’m not sure why; I don’t really read Austen any other time of year β maybe it’s something about the wholesome nature of her works or her beautiful prose? I don’t know, but it’s an undeniable fact. There’s something about walking through the English towns/countryside Austen sets her novels in and watching the beautiful relationships between her characters unfold while drinking a hot cup of coffee or tea and enjoying the crisp fall weather.
Watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
My family and I have watched each Charlie Brown seasonal special in accordance with the festivity it celebrates since I was little. The Charlie Brown Halloween short, in particular, is one I always await with eager anticipation; the peculiar humor of the television special (which unfailingly makes me question what happened in Charles Schulz’s childhood) always makes me laugh out of sheer incredulity at the characters’ unhesitating rudeness.
Drink Fall tea
Fall is the season for tea. I drink tea year-round; fall just is the season for tea. Spiced teas are just *chef’s kiss* during the autumn season. Some of my favorites are as follows:
- The Republic of Tea pumpkin spice tea (caffeinated)
- The Republic of Tea hot apple cider tea (decaffeinated)
- Trader Joe’s Fall harvest tea (decaffeinated)
- H-E-B cinnamon tea (decaffeinated)
- H-E-B orange spiced tea (caffeinated)
Restart Gilmore Girls
I don’t know how many times I’ve watched Gilmore Girls β too many times to count, truly β but I never tire of it. I always restart it, no matter where I may be in the show if I am currently rewatching it, as soon as fall hits. The first three seasons (the Chilton days) are indisputably better than the rest; they just have a great, wholesome feel to them.
Go to coffee shops
Cozying up in a nice coffee shop with a book in hand during autumn β what could be better? Coffee shops also serve as the perfect backdrops for completing homework, studying, and, especially, writing papers; the great atmosphere in combination with the phenomenal fall vibes can make even the most onerous of tasks more benign.
Wander through bookstores
Walking through bookstores is genuinely one of my favorite things to do β especially with a nice, hot cup of coffee. Sometimes I don’t even buy anything (probably because I am currently reading something and have several books that I have yet to begin on my shelves), I just wander through the store, looking at titles and creating a mental list of intriguing works. One of my favorite bookstores in Austin is First Light Books, which has an adorable cafe inside and a great amount of seating; so, if you simply want a great reading atmosphere and cafe, this is also a perfect place to go.
Bake
Autumn and Christmas are my favorite baking seasons. The pumpkin, cinnamon, apple, and chai flavors just produce a special strain of warm happiness within me. Some great fall mixes include:
- Trader Joe’s pumpkin snickerdoodle mix
- Trader Joe’s pumpkin bread mix
- Trader Joe’s pumpkin pancake and waffle mix
walk around campus
Fall and Christmas are tied for my favorite seasons on the TCU campus (although they often end up coinciding since Texas weather is so peculiar). I love to walk around the campus during autumn, enjoying the feeling of the cold air in my lungs while admiring the beautiful, bright reds, oranges, and yellows of the campus’ many trees. 
Original photos by Katherine Stevenson