The Big Fall Bucket List
Welcome to our first-ever bucket list blog post where we’re celebrating all things fall!
Following the success of our 2019 Summer Challenges, this fall we’re collecting a list of both our favorites and our bucket list activities to put a fresh spin on how we celebrate the season. We’ll add a new activity right here each week for you to try, so don’t forget to check back...and enjoy!
All of the activities will be:
- Easy
- Something a little different
- And most importantly, fun!
We’ll be participating in the activities as well and we’ll be posting photos on our social channels. We’d love to see your pics too! Just tag @CreativeCandles and use #creativecandlescollective
Fall Activity 7 - Host a Friendsgiving celebration
So here it is, the last of our fall activities for this year - and it’s a good one! Hosting a Thanksgiving meal for friends the week before the actual holiday is becoming increasingly popular - and it’s even got its own name. Friendsgiving is a millennial creation that we love.
While you could gather your friends and cook up a pre-Thanksgiving feast using all the holiday’s traditional recipes, from roast turkey and cornbread to pumpkin pie and roasted Brussels sprouts, you could also ask each guest to bring a dish and make it a little more informal. (And this way, you won’t steal Thanksgiving’s thunder.)
But don’t forget that a big part of any Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving celebration is the décor. Create your own fall tablescape using small squashes, pine cones, berries, branches, and votive candles for a soft light. Don’t forget to share your pictures with us on social media @CreativeCandles - we’d love to see them!
Fall Activity 6 - Cozy up by the bonfire
This might not sound like an activity in and of itself, but the prep that goes into creating a bonfire certainly is. First, find out how and where to build the best bonfire in your backyard. Once you’re confident you’ll have a brilliant blaze, you can turn your attention to food, drink, and even décor.
Some of our fall food favorites (see above) are perfect for a night by the bonfire. A warming cup of pumpkin spice latte with a salted caramel brownie is the perfect combination. For your main course, you could bake potatoes on your fire - just a little butter, salt and pepper is all that’s needed for a fluffy inside - and serve with your favorite toppings (we love this recipe for sausage stew to go with ours).
Cozy up under a blanket, take a seat on a rustic-chic log, and enjoying the mesmerizing (and healthful) fire. You could even dot oversized candles around your garden to create a natural, glowing ambience.
Fall Activity 5 - Cook all your fall favorites
The cooler days of fall make it the perfect time of year for warming comfort foods. Close your eyes and imagine the delicious scents of spices wafting through the air, hear the crackling of a bonfire, and feel fallen leaves crunching beneath your feet.
Sitting down to hearty comfort food, enjoying a deliciously spiced hot drink, and indulging in the season’s traditional cakes, pies, and desserts are what fall is all about! We’ll be cooking up a storm for our friends and family, including some of our favorite recipes:
- Pumpkin spice latte
- Cinnamon apple muffins
- Salted caramel brownies
- Apple cider and fall cocktails
- Anything with butternut squash
- Honey roast pork with apples
Our mouths are watering already! Set the scene with fall-themed table decor and top it all off with the mild, natural scent of glowing beeswax candles.
Fall Activity 4 - Create an orchard basket
The perfect gift for a fall birthday, to give as a sweet thank you or just because you want someone to know you’re thinking of them, an orchard basket is full of delights and putting together your own is that little bit more special. You could even go one step further and create a totally personal gift by weaving your own basket.
Seasonal fruits are traditional and should definitely be in your basket, but there are lots of other foodie treats you can include. Think luxury chocolates, crystallized ginger, exotic nuts, home-made cookies, jams, and a bottle of your recipient’s favorite drink.
You could even up your orchard basket game with a scented hand cream, pretty picture frame or bath salts. And don’t forget a candle or two! Check out these gift basket ideas for more inspiration.
Shop pillar candles for your orchard basket
Fall Activity 3 - Show off your school spirit
Going back to school (or starting a new school) is a fall milestone, and with it comes showing off your pride in the school you go to.
Whether that’s with the enthusiastic singing of your school’s fight song, wearing your university shirt or getting on social media to post about how great your school is, there are plenty of ways to show off your school spirit this fall.
Are your children going back to school? You could throw them a themed party. You could also host a party for your own school friends and reminisce about your time there, look through old (and maybe a little embarrassing) photos or even visit your old campus.
We also love the idea of throwing a back-to-school cookout for all your friends and family, no matter which school they went to or got to. Get everyone to come in their school colors, decorate your living space or backyard with banners and flags (and candles, of course!), and ask everyone to bring a dish that’s local to where they went to school.
Shop candles in your school colors
Fall Activity 2 - Collect colorful leaves
Following on from our first fall activity, our second bucket list activity is to collect colorful leaves.
This is great fun to do as a family, but it’s not just a child-friendly activity. Take a long, crisp walk through the local park, woodland, or even along the beach with friends, loved ones or just on your own to collect fall leaves that you can then use for unique seasonal home décor.
The reds, oranges, and yellows of fall create cozy spaces, and there are many ways to make use of fallen leaves. You could make a bright wreath for your front door, fill your favorite vase with tall branches of fall leaves, and create a garland for a mantelpiece runner. The possibilities are endless!
A candle and foliage display is always eye-catching, especially now with our new fall candle collection, which we’ve designed in partnership Heather Graham, creator of popular lifestyle blog Oh So Lovingly. Our fall collection includes metallic gold and copper thins; elegant tapers in navy blue, petal pink, pistachio, and mango; pink and pistachio pillars; and blush pink votives.
Fall Activity 1 - Plant Some Fall Foliage
Whether you have acres of space, a child-friendly backyard, a balcony or simply a plant pot on your kitchen window sill, you can plant some fall foliage. Think burnt orange and rust-red petals, bold yellows, and earthy greens.
For those of you with the space to think big, trees that look great in fall include the red maple, green ash, and apple trees laden with ripe fruit. For a spot of fall color, plants which flower this season include chrysanthemums, helenium, and goldenrod.
No outdoor space? No problem! Think a little differently and bring fall foliage indoors. Create a seasonal table centerpiece using pine cones, gourds, and flowers courtesy of your local florist - you could even go on a foliage forage for fall leaves and branches.
We’ve also got some new seasonal scents that will set off your display perfectly! Enjoy the aroma of fall with our new fall vessels: amboyna burlwood, harvest bonfire, and autumn woodlands.
P.S. Look out for our next fall activity coming next week - and don’t forget to tag @CreativeCandles in your social posts!
