I’m a sucker for tradition.
Although I fully appreciate (and make the most of!) modern technologies and conveniences, I do have a yearning for times past.
I love the idea of activities, skills, music and crafts carrying on through the generations with the passage of time.
Individual families have their own traditions, whether they even realise it or not! Simple things, like the way we prepare our meals, or the way we spend a day off, can become traditions without us even noticing.
It’s great to take the time though, to purposefully plan some fun traditions that will really benefit your family.
Doing something week after week, or year after year, builds a sense of excitement and anticipation. It gives us something to look forward to and gives us the chance to reminisce about the last time we tried something. “Remember last time when…..”
Autumn is the perfect opportunity to start some new seasonal family traditions. Here are ten ideas to get you started. Pick one, two or ten, and go make memories!
1. Organise a Bonfire or Campfire
Bonfire night here in Ireland takes place in midsummer, on the 23rd of June (also known as St. John’s Eve). But with the UK having Bonfire or Guy Fawkes Night on the 5th November, we very much associate outdoor fires with this time of year.
There’s nothing like standing or sitting around a fire on a crisp and frosty Autumn evening, watching the sparks fly up to the stars.
And what you eat at a fire is just as important: a big bowl of soup, stew or chilli, with some yummy home baking for dessert. Of course, it must be washed down with a mug of something warm and comforting.
Personally, I think no fire is complete without hot chocolate, and I don’t just mean the stuff made from powder and water!
So what’s the difference between a bonfire and a campfire? Bonfires are usually a lot bigger than campfires and are built for a large group of people to enjoy. A campfire is a smaller, more contained fire, designed for cooking.
Unless you’re feeling very ambitious, a campfire is probably best for making memories with your family. It’s likely to be safer and easier to manage, especially with small children around!
Remember only to light fires in places where you have permission and to be aware of anything that could cause a risk (such as a particularly dry spell of weather).
Brush up on your campfire skills, gather some recipes, pick some fun games and you’re good to go! If you’re a musical bunch, use it as a chance to stretch your vocal cords.
2. Pick Blackberries
Most sensible people who pick blackberries eat them or bake with them.
Then there are the people, like my friends and I, who as children decided it would be much more fun to paint ourselves with them.
Either way is good for making memories I guess, but I recommend the eating or baking option!
Where I live, blackberries are most easily accessible on the hedgerows along country lanes.
Perhaps you can immediately think of a good place for picking, and have noticed some nice juicy berries already.
Or it may well be that you haven’t a clue where would be a good spot, and that’s fine! It’s worth taking the time to go for a drive around some day (before the day you plan to pick) to see if you can find a good location with plenty of fruit.
One thing to bear in mind, is that it much more enjoyable to pick blackberries somewhere that is low on traffic. It means you’re not jumping into the ditch every few seconds when a car passes.
As well as this, you’re probably going to be eating more berries than end up in your bucket or bowl. If you decide to eat them straight off the bushes without washing them, you don’t really want to also be eating all the dirt from passing cars that has coated the berries.
That being said, I do recommend rinsing your berries before eating them. This is especially important if you found them low to the ground. Why? Well, you don’t know what’s weed on them!
Also, don’t forget to warn everyone to watch out for the thorns.
If you do manage to get any precious cargo home, enjoy some time together cooking up a blackberry storm in the kitchen.
3. Bob for Apples
This is a traditional game, usually played at Halloween. If any of you don’t like getting wet, or are very particular about your hair and make-up, this one probably isn’t for you! Here are the steps to getting started:
- Fill a large basin or bucket with water.
- Pop in a few apples.
- Player 1 kneels down at the basin, with their hands behind their back.
- They try to catch the apple with their teeth and lift it out of the basin.
- The player who catches the most apples on their turn wins.
It’s a lot harder than it sounds, and make sure to have a towel to hand!
With the current COVID-19 situation, this game is definitely one best kept within your own household.
An alternative way to play is to tie string to a number of apples (one per player) and hang them up. Players are given a set amount of time to eat their apple without touching it with their hands. The winner is the person who has eaten the most of their apple within the time.
4. Get Ready to Feed the Birds
As we head into winter, it’s time to start thinking about our feathered friends. Even if you only have a windowsill’s worth of outdoor space, it’s possible to provide them with the food and water they need to survive the cold.
My little boy is obsessed with birds, and one of his favourite things to do is make seagull impersonations. Let’s just say it’s cute for a little while.
As a result, I spent this summer telling myself I must make or buy a bird table. I was delighted when without any hints being dropped, my parents bought one for his birthday!
It took quite a while (and many disappointed toddler moments) for the birds to realise the new food source was there. But the word is spreading around the local bird community, and there are lots of visitors for my young enthusiast to watch now.
At the moment, the birds’ menu is as follows:
- a feeder full of peanuts
- two half coconut shells filled with lard, seeds and mealworms
- bread crusts and heels (when we have them)
- a saucer of water
It’s definitely not necessary to have a bird table though. I just like the idea because I had one as a child.
You can hang feeders off absolutely anything and it’s lots of fun to make them yourselves.
Any flat surface will hold a saucer of water. Make sure to change the water regularly, especially during times of frost.
5. Carve a Pumpkin
The last time I bought a pumpkin I had so many things going on that I forgot about it. It rotted before I had chance to carve it, or even just cook with it. I felt a little bit ashamed as my husband took the gone-off vegetable out to the compost heap.
Did you know that the tradition of carving pumpkins at Hallowe’en originally started in Ireland and Britain with the carving of turnips (swedes)? Turnips would have been a common vegetable to have on hand here.
When the tradition made it’s way across the Atlantic, pumpkins were readily available. They were also easier and softer to carve as well! And so the tradition began.
Personally, I’m not really a fan of scary face pumpkins. But recently, I have discovered that there’s a whole array of gorgeous designs that people have got creative with beyond this.
This article from Woman’s Day is full of beautiful things to try with your pumpkin.
I particularly like the cookie cutter and mallet idea. It’s a fantastic way to approach a project like this if you’re not keen on using knives.
6. Get New Hats, Scarves and Gloves
Does anyone else love the fact that woolly hats hide messy hair? When wrestling a toddler means that I haven’t had the chance to brush my hair before leaving the house, a hat is the perfect disguise. But only at certain times of year of course, so a great reason for me to love the Autumn!
Every time the chilly weather rolls round, someone in our house has either lost or grown out of their hat, their scarf or their gloves. Without fail, at least one of us has to buy something new.
Lots of families have a Christmas tradition of everyone buying new pyjamas. Why not shake it up a bit and go on a family shopping trip to pick out new hats, scarves and gloves for the Autumn (depending on local restrictions)?
It acts a signal of the start of a new season, and builds anticipation for family adventures to come.
7. Build a Scarecrow
Back when I was about 12, our local agricultural show introduced a “Build a Scarecrow” class. One Friday after school, my friend and I worked for hours on our joint entry.
On the day of the show, we excitedly turned up at the exhibition hall once the judging was completed. To our utter disgust, we found our scarecrow all alone in the corner; nobody else had entered!
We cheered up quickly however, when we discovered that in spite of this, we had still been awarded the cash prize.
Traditionally, scarecrows have a strong association with Autumn and harvest time. Their main purpose is to discourage birds from picking away at ripening crops.
However, making a scarecrow just for the fun of it is the perfect activity to do year after year, as you can come up with a different idea and theme each time.
Princess, soccer player, mythical creature, topical personality: the sky’s the limit!
Scarecrow festivals, like the Durrow Scarecrow Festival in Co. Laois, are becoming popular in many areas. If you’re feeling up for a challenge, they give you a target to aim for.
8. Do a Family Photoshoot
If you have access to a leaf-filled garden, or a woodland area, this is an easy way to spend an afternoon.
All you need is your smartphone and enthusiastic models.
Some possible photo opportunities include
- Raking up the leaves
- Jumping in a pile of leaves
- Kicking your wellies through the leaves
- Wearing leaves in your hair, attaching them like a brooch etc.
It might be worth asking an extra person to come along so that you can make sure to have photos of all your family members. There seems to always be one person who remains unaccounted for in the family album, as they tend to be the one behind the lens!
9. Plant Bulbs for Spring
If you get excited when you see daffodils beginning to peep up in springtime, now is the time to put in the groundwork.
September – November is the window for planting your bulbs, but it’s best to get them out before the ground begins to freeze.
Window boxes and planters are a really easy way to get your family started with gardening. They take up very little space and can be used in nearly any household.
Think creatively about what you plant your bulbs in. One year you might use window boxes, the next you might experiment with wellies! Whatever you choose though, make sure you create drainage holes in the bottom so the bulbs don’t get waterlogged.
On a side note, gardening projects in general provide children with great lessons in delayed gratification!
10. Make a Harvest Knot
We’ve already mentioned the scarecrow as being associated with harvest time.
The harvest knot is also closely linked with the harvest, specifically with the ancient Gaelic harvest festival of Lunasa.
They used to be made as special gifts for the one you love. Why not make them as presents for grannies, grandads, aunts or uncles? Or you could simply use them as pretty seasonal decorations to brighten up your home.
Louisburgh Community TV made a helpful tutorial video during Lockdown about how to make them. It also includes lots of fascinating information about the traditions surrounding them.
If you haven’t access to wheat straw or rushes, don’t worry! You could still attempt the craft with drinking straws or pipe cleaners.
Enjoy
Well, there you go!
Ten things to try with your family this Autumn. Hopefully one of them might stick and become a treasured tradition you look forward to together year after year.
Comment below and let me know how you got on!