Pumpkins and Reindeer

I’ve always enjoyed celebrating the seasons and the holidays I grew up with. And this time of year, it seems each holiday just flows into the next: the Autumn Equinox in late September, then Canadian Thanksgiving in early October, then Halloween, then U.S. Thanksgiving in late November, then Christmas, then New Year’s. See what I mean? And yes, it is super fun (i.e. delicious) celebrating Thanksgiving twice.

I couldn't resist the plush pumpkin!

As a kid, fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving were my favourites. Where I grew up in Wisconsin, trees turned a fabulous host of vibrant colours, like one last glorious hurrah before they crinkled and blew away. Walking to and from school, I remember the thick rows of leaves that always seemed to accumulate at the side of the sidewalk. Shuffling my feet, I’d kick through those leaves and just smile. In yards or outside of stores, I loved seeing dried, full corn stalks bunched together, their tassels bobbing in the breeze, a pumpkin or two at their base.

In the U.S., our Thanksgiving is in late November, so Halloween came first. Halloween as a kid was filled with happy ghosts and witches, innocent bats and spiders, and pumpkins, lots of pumpkins. I decorated my room with any extra holiday paraphernalia and the pictures I drew with harvest and Halloween themes.

My Thanksgiving memories are many, but perhaps my favorite is of getting up early and coming downstairs to see my mom putting a gigantic turkey in the oven. With five kids, my mom was busy, but she always made each holiday special.

Now I’m in western Canada. Our fall comes earlier and our gorgeous autumn leaf colours are dominated by the blazing yellow of aspen. There are not many corn stalks kicking around for decorations, but there are pumpkins! Our Thanksgiving is in early October, which means that in stores, Halloween and Christmas decorations are out at the same time. I try to keep my fall decorations and vibe going from the Autumn Equinox to U.S. Thanksgiving, and try to coral Christmas kick-off to Black Friday.

I try, I try so hard, but do you know what comes out now? Christmas novels. I know, right?! The new ones are out in the stores and available online. I love reading Christmas stories and . . . I’m actually going to say it . . . I love Christmas movies. I have never met anyone else who loves them as much as I do until the other day. I was having coffee with CJ Carmichael and I asked her if she had seen the new series The Good Witch. It is a Hallmark series and spun off seven Hallmark movies. I’ll admit, there are moments of cheesy, but as the title suggests, it is a show about a Good Witch. I’ll watch year-round, but just like the kind of Halloween I liked to celebrate as a kid, it has happy witches who help people. When I bashfully ducked my head and said, “I love Hallmark movies.” CJ Carmichael answer, “Me too!” Then of course we started talking about our shared delight of Christmas movies. I’m not alone! There is another person who loves holiday shows as much as I do. This season just got better . . .and possibly filled with more wine.

You know what else? CJ Carmichael just released not one, but TWO Christmas stories! A Bramble House Christmas and she’s in the anthology A Montana Born Christmas.

My Christmas season is indeed starting in October this year. The pumpkins will just have to play with the reindeer.

Oh shoot, I forgot to ask CJ if she likes doing Christmas puzzles, too . . .

Of Orion, Pumpkins and Fall Leaves: Autumn Equinox 2015

Tuesday, so early in the morning there was no hint of dawn in the night sky, I was walking to the garage to drive myself to the airport. A brief, two-day trip up to Fort McMurray for my day job was my itinerary. With carry-on in hand, I made my way across the backyard, past the squash and pumpkin vines that in successive bursts of unhindered growth had wondered far from their garden confines to criss-cross across our lawn. I didn’t have the heart to beat them back. When allowed to grow with wild abandon, how far would those vines creep? Turns out several meters. And although their spread made mowing the grass around them difficult, my husband humoured me and worked around them. My goal was to wait until equinox to finish harvesting and cut back the jungle of leaves and vines. There might even be fruit in all that. Guess what I’m doing this weekend?

That Tuesday morning the clear night sky afforded a view of the city stars. These stars are the brightest in the sky, managing to holding their own against the always-on lights of the city. For the last several weeks, I had looked up in that night sky to catch the first glimpse of the season of my favourite constellation, Orion. The celestial Hunter comes back every fall and stays throughout the winter. Tuesday morning he was there. And the Wheel of the Year turns.

The view from the air of the boreal forest in fall colours.

I got to watch the sun rise from 24,000 feet that morning. As we started our descent, the clear skies and sweet light provided ideal conditions to view the expanse of boreal forest in her fall glory. Yellows, oranges, reds, browns and greens blanketed the ground below. It was one of those views you wished you could capture with paint and brush, to mimic the beauty and elegance of nature on a canvas to revisit again and again. But some things can only be experienced in person. No photo, no painting could recreate the powerful feeling of beholding such an innately beautiful, natural sight. It’s not just the view, it’s the experience. Still, on the flight back on Wednesday late afternoon, I snapped a photo from the air. It doesn’t hold a candle to the live experience, but it is what I have to share with you.

How do you welcome fall? Do you look for Orion in the night sky? Do you consciously harvest the fruits and vegetables of summer? Do you bask in the beauty of fall colours splashed across the outside world?

Getting Local: Exploring Local Pockets of Nature this Fall

Mini pumpkins, October 2014

I love Fall. Every season has its charm, but Autumn is my favorite. The crinkle of dried leaves underfoot or their rustle in the breeze is a melody I look forward to every year. The air feels different, too. It can be crisp or a last ditch warm, but it is undeniably "fall" air. I get to see my favorite constellation, too. Orion is back in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where summer is a bustling play time, fall is a more reflective, internal time for me. I have to switch to a slower pace. I just have to. After the natural full throttle of summer, in autumn I quiet down and go into nesting mode. I enjoy cooking and baking more, I knit, I light candles, I listen to calmer music, I read more . . . you know, nesting. I also like to be outside and feel the natural world doing the same thing.

Aspen Yellow, October 2014

Yesterday we went to a local corn maze. I know, not exactly wild, but still a beautiful exercise in witnessing Mother Nature. She does rock our food sources and although the point of that corn field was for entertainment, it still holds natural energy. And as I was walking through that field, the total history nerd inside was thinking of all the fall traditions associated with corn and pumpkins. There were times it was easier to feel those connections to our natural world. The good news is we can still plug back in if we want. I'll be honest, it helped going early before the crowd became a crowd.

Today we went "hiking." I absolutely adore hiking in the mountains, but finding closer pockets of the natural world to explore and enjoy is more practical some weekends. Like today. We explored a local park along the Bow River that is indeed a city park, but had trails that you can forget how close to neighborhoods or Deerfoot/Highway 2 you really are. Going at 8:30 on a Sunday morning helped, too. Not many folks out on the dirt paths that early. :) And we got to hike alongside the Bow River. Rivers can be bring that touch of wild energy to urbanized places.

I'm roasting a turkey today for Sunday dinner. Not the norm in our house(!!), but today I wanted traditional. And the nesting of Autumn continues . . . I've learned to embrace it and see where it takes me.

Carburn Park, Calgary, October 2014

Happy Autumn.