Fall Fun. But is it really?

Although I made a Fall Bucket List with my family this year, I kept it pretty simple (you can see it here)—so that I wouldn’t suffer from Strenuous Seasonal Fun Disorder. It’s a thing, okay? And right now, it happens to be Fall’s moment to lay it on thick.

Are you wearing a cozy knit sweater, or plaid blazer, or somehow both? Are you sipping a pumpkin spice latte and being as basic as Starbucks wants you to be? Are you surrounded by crunchy fallen leaves—just, you know, absolutely buried under a thick pile, like the post-summer version of being buried alive in a giant sandpit on the beach? How about pumpkins? You got a billion of those? Maybe even some of those white bougie pumpkins or a handful of fancy ceramic pumpkins on your mantel? Do you have a Pinterest board of clever Halloween treats that you plan to DIY for all the classroom parties? Have you baked an apple pie yet with actual apples you handpicked from the orchard?

If you’ve checked off more than 4 boxes, chances are you too may be suffering from Fall Harvest Fun. Let’s not forget that the official start of fall was barely one month ago although you were probably sucked in by seasonal fun and PSLs around Labor Day. (Or, if you’re a parent, sometime in August’s end, when you start seeing Halloween décor in stores and your child is already begging you to buy up all the cheap plastic decorations.)

My family recently visited one of our favorite apple-picking farms in New Jersey. The farm was unusually crowded because it was a Fall Festival Weekend, I lost one of my children for a good while which gave me a good scare, and it was HOT. Like, hot as hell, and it just felt wrong plucking apples in 90-degree “fall” weather. But I took one for the team just so we could carry on one of our family’s fall traditions. I dropped $40 on admission for four that festival weekend. (It would have been $50 except that the Husb couldn’t come at last minute.) That’s not to mention the extra a la carte costs to paint a pumpkin, ride a pony, race rubber ducks, pick pumpkins, pick apples, face paint, eat lunch, yada yada yada.

I blame it on myself, of course. I started this fall farm tradition years ago with my kids, and now there’s no looking back. While I do enjoy doing this with the kids, it can also feel tiring when you have three kids to logistically move around like chess pieces just to get to said farm. And yet, here we are. Still, my family continues to pick apples and pumpkins from overpicked fields. We roast marshmallows and make s’mores even though all boys say under the age of 8 make a gooey, sticky mess everywhere. You’re not alone if you find this temporary seasonal fun of weekend crowds, logistics, and performative social posts to be exhausting.

So how do we still find joy in the changing of the seasons, but without suffering the symptoms of Strenuous Seasonal Fun Disorder?

You can give yourself a break, really you can. Go light on the seasonal activities just like a skinny PSL and just pick a small handful that means something to you or that you REALLY want to do. (Case in point: #4 on my Fall Bucket List, make a chunky knit blanket—I truly wanted to try this one despite not being a DIY person!) And don’t worry about capturing and documenting every moment to remember, lest you fall victim to the hashtag #fallvibes.

I bought a few delightful fall sweaters this season, including this cozy striped knit sweater I’m wearing here—but there’s this one in a perfect autumn mustard color (not pictured here, but pictured here and here) with a super-soft lining that makes me feel like I’m wearing a big hug. It’s a very #basic sweatshirt, but I reach for this yellow sweater at least 3 days a week, so I guess you could say this is my fall uniform. Maybe one day I’ll feel inspired to mix it up and style it in different ways for fall. But for now, you’ll be seeing this mustard yellow sweater and the same pair of jeans all over my ‘gram.

And should you manage to get through Fall Harvest Fun season to Awkward Thanksgiving Family Fun and finally to Excessively Sparkly Christmas Fun, all the high fives to you, girlfriend! You deserve a treat and not a pumpkin spiced one.

Are you tired of Fall Fun or are you still going strong?