September might be one of my favorite months of the year. It’s that little in-between season when summer hasn’t completely disappeared, but you can finally feel fall starting to creep in.
The mornings get a little cooler. Apples are back in season. Football starts. The first leaves begin to change. And suddenly making soup or lighting a candle doesn’t feel completely unreasonable anymore.
So instead of rushing straight into Halloween, I put together a September bucket list filled with 24 simple ways to enjoy early fall. Things to make, places to go, reasons to gather, and a few cozy things to watch and read along the way.
You definitely don’t need to finish everything on this list. Pick a few favorites, add your own, or see how many you can check off before October arrives.
TO MAKE
September is when I start wanting my house to feel like fall, even if the weather hasn’t fully gotten the memo yet.
□ Make a fall simmer pot
Apples, citrus, cinnamon and herbs simmering on the stove might be the quickest way to make the entire house smell like fall.
□ Make an apple pie or apple crisp
Apple season deserves at least one warm-from-the-oven dessert.
□ Make homemade soup
The first remotely chilly or rainy September day = soup season has officially begun.
□ Press fall leaves
Start collecting your favorites as the leaves begin changing and press them between the pages of a heavy book. You can also preserve them too!
□ Make cinnamon rolls
Bonus points for eating one on a slow weekend morning with coffee.
□ Make a seasonal wreath
Use dried leaves, grasses, branches, apples or other things that feel like early fall rather than jumping straight to pumpkins and Halloween.
TO DO
These are the activities that make September actually feel like September.
□ Go apple picking
One of my favorite ways to kick off apple season and an excellent excuse to come home with far more apples than anyone reasonably needs.
□ Take a fall nature walk
Look for the first changing leaves, acorns, pinecones, mushrooms and other little signs that fall is on its way.
□ Visit a sunflower field
September is a beautiful time to catch late-summer blooms before they’re gone.
□ Decorate for fall
Bring out the cozy textures, warmer colors, candles and early-fall decor.
□ Go to a football game
College, NFL, or high school! Pick your team, grab something good to eat and embrace football season.
□ Eat an apple cider donut
Preferably warm. Preferably at an orchard. No further explanation required.
TO HOST (OR ATTEND)
September entertaining should feel casual. Give everyone a reason to get together and let the season do the rest.
□ Host a football watch party
Put out easy game-day snacks, turn on the game and let people come and go.
□ Host a fall brunch
Think cinnamon rolls, apple dishes, coffee, cider and a table that feels just a little bit autumnal.
□ Have an Oktoberfest night
Sausages, pretzels, mustard, potato salad and Oktoberfest-inspired food make an easy themed dinner at home.
□ Host an apple tasting
Pick up several different apple varieties and taste them side-by-side. Add wine, cheese and snacks and turn it into an easy little fall gathering.
□ Host a chili cook-off
Everyone brings their best recipe. Everyone votes. Someone earns bragging rights until next fall.
□ Host a backyard bonfire
Blankets, drinks, something toasted over the fire and the first genuinely cool September night you can find.
TO WATCH
September is the perfect time to start settling into cozy nights at home. Whether you’re in the mood for a favorite fall movie or a comfort show you can watch all season long, consider this your excuse to press play.
□ Fill out a fall movie bracket
I rounded up 16 favorite fall movies and put them head-to-head in a bracket to find the ultimate fall movie. Fill out your own bracket or just steal the list the next time you need something cozy to watch.
□ Start a fall show
Try watching Gilmore Girls in “real time.”
Start around September 22 and watch approximately four episodes a week to experience Stars Hollow alongside the changing seasons.
Or start:
- Only Murders in the Building
- Hart of Dixie
- Friday Night Lights
- Anne with an E
TO READ
Some books just feel better in the fall. Grab a blanket, pour something warm, and pick a story that matches the season.
□ Read a book that feels like fall
For my September Bucket List, I picked six books that feel perfect for easing into the season:
The Simplicity of Cider — Amy E. Reichert
First Frost — Sarah Addison Allen
The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living — Louise Miller
The Secret History — Donna Tartt
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry — Gabrielle Zevin
The Lost Apothecary — Sarah Penner
Need more fall reading ideas?
If six books aren’t enough to get you through sweater weather, I’ve put together 36 Books That Feel Like Fall, with recommendations for every kind of autumn reader, from old libraries and apple orchards to rainy-day mysteries, cozy comfort reads and classic fall favorites. Find your next fall read: 36 Books That Feel Like Fall
Make September Count
You don’t have to do all 24 things for September to feel special.
Pick the things that sound fun. Skip the ones that don’t. Add your own traditions. And leave a little room for the spontaneous things that make the season memorable, like that first unexpectedly chilly morning, the tree that seems to change color overnight, or the afternoon that suddenly feels perfect for baking something.
Because September is short, and fall always seems to move faster than I want it to.
Save the full September Bucket List below and see how many you can check off before October.
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