A vintage image filled alphabet of fall favourites

My excitement over the fact that we are now, really and truly, into my favourite month of the entire year cannot be contained. I'm buzzing with more energy than if I just ate a semi-trailer truck's worth of the very sweetest Halloween candy (alas, I haven't had a single piece...yet!).

If you've been following my blog for a while now, a.) thank you immensely and b.) chances are you're well acquainted with how much I go utterly wild for all of autumn. Naturally including the gorgeous month of October, and its crowing glory, All Hallows' Eve, which will greet us again in about four weeks time.

To celebrate the start of the 10th month of the year - one of, if not often "the" busiest for our family, thanks to numerous events such as Canadian Thanksgiving, multiple family birthdays (including my sister and maternal grandma's), our wedding anniversary (Tony and I will be toasting twelve awesome years together on the 14th), and of course Halloween itself - I recently had the fun idea of listing some of my very favourite elements of the season.

I wanted to put a different spin on such however, to distinguish it from similar fall/Halloween centered lists, such as this one from 2013, and like a bolt of stormy fall time lightning, the idea struck me recently to do so by presenting such in the form of an alphabet.

This, in and of itself, tying into the start of the school year last month and the general air of all this academic that fills the early weeks of this season.

As it's Sunday and most of us are busy enjoying these final days of mild sunshine and accompanying warmth while they're still here, I didn't want this post to be a huge one by any means and have thus opted to list each entry - which speaks for itself, I feel - simply with with its name, a few further words at most, and an accompanying vintage image.

There are truly countless things to love about fall and this selection of twenty-six entries is the mere tip of the iceberg, but they're some of my perpetual favourites and one that I know are near and dear to many of hearts as well. So without further ado, may I present an alphabetical look at some of the best elements of fall.
 
1. Apples (especially candy and caramel ones!) 


2.Bats



3. Costume parties



4. Dinner, Thanksgiving (yum-yum!!!)


5. Eeriness (as in the general sense of mystery that fills the air as Halloween draws near) 


6. Fall leaves, in all their jewel toned splendor



7. Goblins, ghosts, and ghouls of every sort!



8. Harvest time



9. (The) Invisible Man



10. Jack-o-lanterns



11. Knits - sweaters, scarves, gloves, you name it!



12. Lighting candles on the nights grow longer once more



13. (The) Moon - crescent, harvest, full, any stage of this gorgeous heavenly element is all the more at home during autumn time



14. Nuts - very much including the seasonal gem that is acorns



15. (The colour) Orange



16. Popcorn being transformed into all kinds of sweet and savoury treats (very much including caramel corn and popcorn balls)



17. Queuing up on the first day back to school



18. (Hay) Rides in the crisp autumn air



19. Scarecrows



20. Trick-or-treating



21. (Carrying) UNICEF boxes to collect for charity on Halloween night



22. Vampires (and vampire movies)




23. Werewolves (and, likewise werewolf movies)

24. (The e)Xcitement of Halloween!




25. Yellow, orange and white - the traditional colours of that sweet fall time treat, candy corn!



26. Zombies

{To learn more about a specific image used in today's post, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.}

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Which of these autumnal favourites strikes a particular chord with you as well? Are there others that would have take top billing on a list like this of your own? (And, naturally, if you do want to follow my lead and create your own fall favourites alphabet, please, by all means go for it - I'd adore reading your selection as well anytime!)

In a way, I want to say that this week is like the calm before the storm of epic activity that will unfold throughout the month, but in reality, it's already hopping with excitement, full days, and plenty of festive happenings - and you know, I really wouldn't have it any other way.

From my earliest childhood memories onward, October has been a busy, exhilarating time of the year and as someone who really loves to focus on family, tradition, and holidays, this month and its festive happenings brings me an endless amount of happiness.

I hope that it does the same for you as well, no matter what's on your (slice-of-Halloween-cake topped) plate this month, and that you enjoyed this fun alphabet post.

It's a charming way to roundup some of the elements that one treasures the most about a given season and I'm now, quite literally as I type these very words, wondering if perhaps I should give one a go for winter/Christmastime, too. Definitely let me know in the comments below if you'd be keen to see such here as well.

My sweet and wonderful friends, from my heart to yours, I wish you each a gorgeous, thrilling and very merry month of October - which I can hardly wait to celebrate again with you from start to spooky costume clad finish!

Saturday Snapshots: September 17, 2016

 

{As the days grow shorter and the temperatures chillier, why not take an entertainment cue from this lovely group of 1950s ladies and spend a fun filled evening playing bridge? (Love their outfits and hairstyles!)}




{With another school year well and truly underway again, it's hard not to feel a surge of pep/cheerleading squad spirit (like this wonderful group from 1960 had) once more, even if you haven't sat in a classroom for decades.}



{Her outfit (those slacks!), that car, even those beautifully classic glass milk bottle - how can one not want everything in this serene slice-of-life snap from 1957?}



{And speaking of style perfection, how awesomely lovely does this mother and her two young children - also coincidentally photographed in 1957) - look in their fall time finery? (This snap was taken in October of that year).}




{Summer is definitely winding down and the days of going bare armed are numbered (if not a memory already) in many parts of the world, but while the last vestiges of warmth remain, I simply had to include this awesome photo of a chic c. 1930s young lady in her fashionable wide legged beach pajama style ensemble.}



{Sister, cousins, besties, possibly even a very youthful looking mom (on the right) and daughter? Whatever the case, one instantly senses that these two lovely 1940s gals had each other's backs no matter what.}



{Two young ladies engaged in one of my all-time favourite activities - especially come autumn - shopping for Halloween decorations. Oh, to be able to go back to the 1950s and pick up some of these delightful festive goodies with them (Plus, as a side note, check out both of their seriously cool pairs of earrings!)}




{This is such an excellent yesteryear cross section of society photo. From the gents in their dapper suits to the men in their work wear, and of course the elegantly attired ladies of various ages, images like this (from December 1942) are about as close one can get to accidentally travelling back in time and landing smack dab in the middle of small town America.}



{Vintage nighttime colour photos taken by everyday folks aren't overly common, so when I spotted this lovely (undated) one - that I'd estimate to be from the 1960s or 70s - recently, given the season that we're heading into, I knew that I had to share it here on the double. This image was captured at the Autumn Festival in Rimouski, Quebec.}



{Two youngsters (from 1942) getting in the spirit of Halloween by carving a cheerfully fun jack-o-lantern. I can hardly wait to follow their lead in a few week's time!}

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}

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Travel brings with it the potential for a near limitless array of gifts, and, unquestionably, this is one of the primary reasons why I adore it to the moon and back. It can - for some people at least - also have a darker side however, too (and I don't just mean things like the inherent risks – whatever their likelihood may be – of visiting a new destination, such as getting pickpocketed, having the airline lose your luggage, etc).

For those, such as myself, who tend to find traveling to be a time of intensely powerful introspection and deep thought, venturing away from home, even just for a few days, can cause certain concerns, worries, stresses, and anxieties to come bubbling to the surface. Or, if they were already there to begin with, to manifest even more strongly.

On our very recent adventure to Edmonton (which we returned home from this past Monday evening), I experienced precisely that for much of our time away.

Though I do not wish at this point in time to delve too much into the specific concerns that were at the forefront of my mind, the fact that they were there, like a heavy grey cloud hovering over the peaceful prairie landscape that was our holiday to Edmonton, rattled me and continues to do so, even though we're back home now.

It is far too early in the year to sum up 2016 yet, but over all this has been a strange one that has seen many ups and downs, curve balls and, to be perfectly frank, moments of being downright blindsided by certain happenings that have come my (our) way.

Throughout it, the elegant quote from Nelson Mandela that opens today’s post has often floated through my mind. As while many of the aforementioned issues were ones that I had little to no say in the (initial, at least) development of, certainly some of them stem from actions and choices that I've taken at various stages along the path that has been my life up until this very point.

I think that all of us, from the dawn of time onward, have wanted our choices to reflect our hopes and our dreams, the things that make us smile and keep our spirits alight.

Yet, objectively, sometimes our decisions are shaped or determined point blank, by our fears, concerns, doubts, and uncertainties. More often than not, it is these sorts of choices and experiences that tag along for the ride when we travel - and, let's be honest, when we're under the safety of our very own roof as well.

Over the years, I've talked here before about how the beginning of autumn has always felt like the start of a new year for me (just as, I know, it does for many others too,) - a point that, historically speaking, has a great deal of merit, as it was just that for many different cultures. No doubt this is playing into why change and choice are front and center in my thoughts at the moment.

I know that there are presently some storms in my life that I simply have no choice, given current circumstances, than to see through to the end – a time that may be months or even years away. There are others though that, ultimately, I have a greater degree of say in and where such is involved, I know that I may need to make some serious decisions in the near future.

This prospect does not scare me per se, but it does call for some tough choices, late nights of pondering, and, looking forward, a coming year that may be at least somewhat different from most others in recent times.

I do not mean to sound/be cryptic and I assure you that nothing truly insurmountable is on my plate right now. From its earliest days, at times, I have used my blog as a place to journal my concerns and, in the process, often find greater clarity, regardless of the issue(s) at hand when I do so.

It is for those reasons that I kicked off this latest edition of Saturday Snapshots with Mandela's poignant words and speak, if only in subtle terms, about some of what I'm going through at the moment.

Though I have had some tough days recently - and throughout 2016 in general - I assure you that Tony and I are both okay. And that, hand on my heart, for each current concern, there are zillions of positive things - many pertaining to autumn itself - to help balance the scales and ensure that my natural upbeat-ness isn't snuffed out at the moment.

Far from it - if anything, turning all the more to the elements of my life that bring me joy will help to make the choices I face not only more bearable, but - I truly hope - more often than not, enable them to be reached with hope and positivity as their driving force.

Answering two different festively fun Halloween tags

Much like myself, my good friend Franny (from The Curious Professor Z) is one of those people who absolutely, positively eats, breaths, sleeps and lives for Halloween!

She recently tapped me to answer the Halloween tag, which she was nominated for by Ramona from Just Keep Brains, and given my unending love of October 31st, there was no way I was going to pass up this fun blog tag!

So without further ado, let me jump (skeleton) head into the thirteen delightfully spooky questions in this great seasonal questionnaire! 

Thirteen Spooktastic Halloween Tag Questions!

1. Favorite Halloween song? There are a lot of faves in this camp for me, but top billing to goes to Thriller from Michael Jackson. I have an annual tradition wherein I try to listen to it at least once a day throughout the full month of October and then multiple times on the big night itself.





2. Witches or Vampires? Love, and have gone as both for Halloween over the years, but at the end of the day, I've got to give my vote to witches.




3. Favorite thing about Halloween? Everything!!! :) Not even kidding there - but for some of the top reasons why this day makes me off-the-charts gleeful, see this fun post from last year.




4. Halloween party or scary movie marathon? Halloween party all the way!!! We usually host one for our nearest and dearest each All Hallows' Eve and will be doing the same again this year. I can hardly wait!!!




5. Skeletons or Zombies? Both are fun, but as a perpetual goth girl at heart, I'll take skeletons, please.




6. Favorite Halloween candy? Caramel apples all the way (they're a staple at our Halloween parties) - I even have a Pinterest board devoted just to them! If we're talking more like candy bars and the like, then I've always really adored Crunchy Bars (which are a cinch to make a home, too, if you have a good recipe for sponge toffee), Reese Peanut Butter Cups, Aeros, and Milky Ways, amongst oodles of others.




7. Favorite Halloween movie? Hands down 1993's Hocus Pocus. I've easily seen it fifty or more times over the years and can't let a single autumn go past with out at least a couple additional viewings.




8. Favorite Halloween costume? That I've worn? Hmm, that's a toughie. Last year's Sinderella (pictured above) is definitely way up there!!!




9. Favorite Halloween store? We don't have Halloween shops around these parts that are open year round and Penticton is too small, the companies that run such deem, to have a pop up Halloween store. Luckily though, the nearby city of Kelowna, an hour away, gets at least three each year, of which Spirit Halloween is my favourite. Beyond that, I always really enjoy the seasonal offerings at Home Sense and Winners, Michaels, Hallmark, Value Village, and Canadian Tire.




10. Jack-o-lanterns, yes or no? Epic yes!!! Classic, painted, intricately carved, faux, light-up, you name it, I adore a good jack-o-lantern!




11. Bats or Black Cats? Uber love both, but darling little chat noirs are going to win here (especially since I've wanted a black cat my whole life!).




12. Is Halloween your favorite holiday? Absolutely, one million percent, no two ways about it, always and forever, yes!!!!!





13. Pumpkin spice latte or hot chocolate? The best of both worlds: Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate!

I’m tagging the following five people to play along and answer these questions, too, if they'd like:

Ally from Shy Biker

Bianca from The Closet Historian

CiCi from CiCi Marie

Jessica from Zella Maybe

Sylvie from Little Corporate Goth Girl

{Please click on any image used throughout this post to be taken to its respective source.}

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This month I also thought it would be fun to do the YouTube Halloween challenge, and just put a video with my answers to the question (which I found online here) in it up there yesterday.

Check it out and definitely feel free to play along with this or the other tag above as well, if you'd like. The extra fun thing about these enjoyable online tags is that they're open to anyone and everyone!

With little more than half a month to go until October 31st rolls around again, you can bet you bottom dollar that this is not going to be the last festive post you’ll see from me this year in the slightest.

In fact, most of my entries between now and when I write about what I wore on the big night itself (that will appear sometime in the first week of November) will be heavily Halloween related.

This magical, thrilling holiday comes but once a year and you can rest assured that both Franny and I are making the very most of it while it's here!!! :)


*PS* Truly happy Canadian Thanksgiving wishes and blessings to all of my fellow canucks who are celebrating it today!