All About those Fall Decorations

Growing up in the desert, we don't really have the changing colors of the leaves or most of the traditional signs that Fall has arrived - the foliage here goes from olive green to a slightly duller olive green and the mornings and evenings drop below 70 degrees and that's about it.  But, one of the things I always love is seeing how my friends around the world decorate to align with the changing seasons.   

This brings us to this month's Show and Tell... all about fall decorating.  I asked the team to share some pics and here are their responses. 

The Harvest by Sasha

Growing up in the islands, Fall or Thanksgiving is something that is not very common. I have learned to appreciate the American style of Fall, though, especially seeing how my neighbors decorate their homes and the unlimited pumpkin spice commercials.

However, in the Fall months, my Caribbean culture celebrates something called Harvest. This is a time where everyone comes together and brings produce from their yards or markets or baked goods, and we decorate the church. This symbolizes our thankfulness to God for a bountiful harvest. This then leads to my favorite time/activity, which is eating. We have a feast open to everyone to come and fellowship with us. Once all the festivities are over, we then divide up goods and give them to the less fortunate, the elderly, single-parent homes, and so forth. Here are some pictures of our Harvest:

Pumpkin Life with Morgan

I have to admit fall has snuck up on me this year! I think it’s because of the unusually warm temperatures we’ve been having but yes, my favorite season and I’m not fully prepared for it, and unfortunately haven’t done much decorating. But one thing is for sure, there will be pumpkins. I love them and so does my oldest little boy. He helped me pick these out for our front porch. Now to carve or paint? I say both!

Spooky Wreaths by Kiala 

I don't know about you, but Fall immediately reminds me that Halloween is near. And what better way to celebrate than with a Fall/Halloween Wreath. This one was super easy because the web metal design made it perfect for weaving the flowers and decor in and out. Throw on some spiders and we have a spooky decoration. It's my favorite wreath I've made!

Honoring Loved Ones from Lisa 

For me, Halloween has always been my transition point into Fall since as I mentioned above, we don't really have a huge change in the way the desert looks.  And while Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, when I think about decorating for Fall I immediately think of Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead.)   If you aren't familiar with it, Día de los Muertos is a multi-day holiday where we celebrate the lives of our loved ones who have passed on and honor their memories by leaving offerings on an ofrenda, or altar, that is created and decorated every year for this purpose.  My ofrenda has grown and changed over the years, but now that I am in my own home, it basically takes up one entire wall of my living room.  It is filled with pictures of family members, flowers, and candles alongside typical Day of the Dead decorations like sugar skulls, catrinas, and marigold flowers.  This is a small portion of my ofrenda from last year. 

What Fall decorations or traditions do you look forward to each year?  

"When you are reluctant to change, think of the beauty of Autumn"

~ V V Brown