The end of September ushers in a new time of year to celebrate with the family – the awesome season of autumn. Make sure to notice the subtle changes brought about by fall, despite what the thermometer screams here in the south. Plan to enjoy lots of fall activities with the family as summer days begin to slip away. Create some unique family celebrations to enjoy this month and include the wild and crazy celebrations below, too. Make fabulous fall memories with those you love during the month of September!
National Love People Day – Love your family well this month and lead by example to teach beautiful ways to show love to others. Smile at friends-you-haven’t-met-yet in the grocery store. Chat about the weather in line at the bank. (You can even gently argue over whose home is hotter these days!) Wave to passers-by. Instead of cutting someone off on Highway 80, allow them to merge when you see their red light blinking. Speak kind words to everyone you see – online and in person. Treat the person behind you in the drive thru. Let you love shine for the entire month, not just a day. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll become a 365-days in a row kind of habit. We could all use more kindness and love in the world!
International Rabbit Day – Keep your eyes open for little bunnies and celebrate these adorable mammals. Turn a paper lunch sack into a rabbit puppet with just a few bits of construction paper, glue, chenille sticks, and cotton balls for a tail. Then read some of these books to celebrate the door even more. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney, The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld, It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler, and The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco.
National Scarf Day – Purchase solid-color scarves, one for each member of the family. Choose an evening for a crafting party. Set out fabric paints of various colors that are appropriate for scarf material, small paint brushes, small sponges or stamps to use for making designs on the scarf, and clean-up materials. Spend time together decorating and personalizing the scarves. You might even decide to let each person add a fingerprint somewhere in the artistic design. Find something fun to do as a family – like go for a walk – while the paint dries. Once the scarves are completely dry, use a warm iron on the reverse side of the paint to heat set the designs. Then enjoy wearing the scarves on a family outing later in the week!
National Great American Pot Pie Day – Gather in the kitchen to prepare dinner for the celebration. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine two cups of chopped, rotisserie chicken breast with one 15-ounce can of drained, mixed vegetables, one can condensed cream of chicken soup and one-half cup milk. Blend well. Pour the mixture into a nine-inch-deep premade pie crust that has been thawed. Carefully top the mixture with another thawed, premade pie crust. Use a fork to seal the edges of the two pie crusts. Poke a few holes in the top crust. Bake about 35 minutes, until the crust is golden. Enjoy!
Love Note Day – This one seems like a no-brainer! Spend an afternoon writing love notes to everyone in the family. Write more than one. Write lots! Make some serious, some silly, some funny. You might even take a family field trip to shop for some trinkets and treats to go along with the notes you’ll share. Perhaps you can pick up a package of cookies to accompany a “You are sweet” note. Or a door stopper to add to a note that says, “I’ll never stop loving you.” Write long notes, short ones, mushy ones, sappy ones, and precious ones. Once you’ve written a healthy collection of notes, let each person distribute their notes throughout the month of September to remind every family member how deeply they are loved.
Find fun, unique, exciting ways to enjoy a new season with those you love. Create and collect memories this month to make it a super-September with the family.
Statesboro native Julie Lavender loves the beautiful colors of autumn and looks forward to this time of year annually. She enjoys making memories with hubby David, four adult children, and three grandchildren.