Categories: Lifestyle

5 Ways To Get in the Autumn Spirit In This Weather

Fall has officially started, but of course, the Texas summer lasts until mid-October. It isn’t fair. We patiently wait to drink our warm pumpkin-flavored drinks and fight the urges to put on leggings and flannels every time we look at our closets. I, for one, am fed up with it. Although the sun is out, I am ready to have autumn take my soul and lay it on a pillow of crunchy leaves so that I can be cozy and rightfully enjoy the spooky season and everything that comes with it. I can’t throw on layers of sweaters and scarves but here are 5 things to do instead.

1. Attend Football Games With Friends

Friday Night Lights are for high school, but at UNT we go hard for our Mean Green Eagles. We get to tailgate and fill our Saturdays with school spirit as we yell in the stands. The whole tradition of it all down to the fried food items we wait in line for during half-time to the green paint on our faces makes the spirit of autumn come to life. Since football season is mainly during autumn, following the great American ritual, especially at night when the weather is cooler, helps bring on the fall vibes we have been waiting for since last year. Bonus points for driving around after the game and ending up somewhere to grab a bite to eat near campus or ordering from Insomnia Cookies.

2. Create a Fall Playlist

Music is my addiction. My heart aches without it. What has so much power as to make thousands of people all simultaneously cry at once… music. Yes, people wait in line for hours to get a new iPhone but in every household, there is a kid who hides their electronics under the blanket so, at midnight, they can listen to their favorite musician’s art drop. I know I wasn’t the only one. It has the control and we love and accept it, especially when fall comes around. No one can vibe harder to Bon Iver or 1975 except those in the right season. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the rainy days to match the music videos we pretend to be in, but we can still get festive. Creating that perfect fall playlist to get the mood just right, whether it’s for studying in a cute coffee shop or driving to class, can make every moment in fall feel like, well the perfect fall feeling and is impossible to describe except that it smells like Bath & Body Works fall-flavored candles. Spotify is perfect for finding or making your own fall playlist and be sure to include Fast Car by Tracy Chapman.

3. Decorate Everything Fall and Nice With Pumpkin Spice

Who can stay away from the Halloween aisle, anyone? Exactly, no one. Wonder why that is? It’s because of the decorations. While the smell of fun-sized candies brings us back to our childhood, the decorations reel us in. The beauty of pumpkins and gourds, even the warted ones, are so beautiful, the fairy lights, the candles, the plaid, the faux fur, and everything rustic make my bank account cry more than it already does. Spending money on these decorations may be an investment but you don’t have to spend tons to truly enjoy the season of fall. We love fall and fall loves us, unconditionally. So decorate everything you have: wall shelves, doors, bedding, and seating to make up for the fact that the weather is prolonging hoodie season.

4. Thrifting For Sweaters and Costumes in Preparation

Winter is coming… in the far, far future. But might as well get prepared now. We are all in college, and procrastination is a skill we have definitely mastered, but when it comes to thrifting, students need to prioritize. Denton has great stores to buy second-hand clothes from, especially for the fall, so getting to it before everyone else decides they need more cozy sweaters and cute fall accessories makes it a reason to be on the list. Spooky Season begins soon. So going thrifting can help those of us who are broke meet and form with our creative halloween-addicted side to become the kid whose Halloween costume is so brilliantly unique, it will be forever remembered as an icon and role model to us all (we can all do better than a normal outfit with Euphoria makeup).

5. Watch Every Autumn-Oriented Show and Movie Every Created

Sure, no one has cable anymore. But you or someone you know has Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime or whatever website and ad-blocker combination, so use it to dive into fall starting with the Disney Classic, Halloweentown. This season lets you be a child and while we thrived during Hot Girl Summer, Urban Outfitters is so ready for us to be comfy AND cute. So invite friends, pop the popcorn, eat the Halloween themed Pillsbury sugary cookies and chill so hard you forget that the weather is nowhere near fall in Gilmore Girls. Watch Dead Poet Society, The Outsiders, and Good Will Hunting.

Watch The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic, Sleepy Hollow, The Craft. And don’t forget the greatest classic of all time… It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. These feel-good movies and spooky presences have given me special power. I become stronger, my coffee intake increases as the layers of clothing increases. There are some side effects, like the money in the bank disappearing. But every superhero with great powers has some side effects, like the Hulk turning green and destroying his clothes, or Spiderman, well you know, RIP… Even with the minute negatives, all of this is worth it in the name of my one true love, Autumn.

We live in Texas, so the weather might just say “sike” and we get the 60-degree days and cloudy skies, but for now we are dealt with the sun pissed off because of the whole global warming thing. Getting into the Autumn spirit in this weather is crucial because every daydream I had of being in college during high school was walking across campus stepping on crunchy leaves as I admire the architecture, listening to my Fall Playlist and carrying my PSL drink; instead of dealing with this torture. Fall has everything good, the bugs disappear, the leaves fall and the weather matches the classroom temperature.