Fall often arrives with a long list of things families feel like they should be doing. There are festivals to attend, pumpkins to pick, football games to watch and seemingly endless activities competing for a spot on the calendar. But enjoying the season doesn’t always require going anywhere.
A cool fall weekend at home can provide a welcome break from busy school, work and activity schedules. With a few simple ideas, families can enjoy the season without spending much money—or spending half the weekend in the car.
Forget the alarm clock if schedules allow. A cozy fall weekend is a good excuse for a leisurely Saturday breakfast. Pancakes, waffles, cinnamon rolls or French toast can make breakfast feel special without requiring much extra work. Older children can help cook, while younger ones can set the table or choose the music.
After breakfast, resist the temptation to immediately turn on televisions and retreat to separate rooms. If the weather cooperates, spend some time outside. Take a walk around the neighborhood, rake leaves together or simply enjoy coffee or hot chocolate on the porch. Younger children might enjoy collecting colorful leaves, pinecones or acorns for a simple craft later in the day.
Few things make a house feel more like fall than the smell of dinner cooking. Chili, soup, stew or a slow-cooker meal can simmer while everyone spends the afternoon doing something they enjoy. Add bread, biscuits or grilled cheese sandwiches and dinner is finished without anyone spending hours in the kitchen. Even bread and biscuits can be easy if you use frozen yeast bread loaves or canned biscuits if you don’t want to make them from scratch.
Fall is also a great time to bake. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate homemade dessert. A boxed brownie mix refrigerated cookie dough or an easy apple crisp can still fill the house with the smell of something warm from the oven. Let children choose the dessert or help prepare it. Teenagers might even take over the kitchen and make it themselves.
Once dinner is finished, turn the living room into a family movie theater. Pile blankets and pillows on the sofa, make popcorn and let everyone nominate a movie. Families with several strong opinions can put the choices in a bowl and draw one.
For an inexpensive concession stand, set out popcorn along with a few favorite candies and drinks already in the house. And phones don’t necessarily have to disappear for the entire evening, but putting them aside during the movie gives everyone a chance to actually watch together.
Not every hour needs an activity. Part of the appeal of a weekend at home is giving everyone some time to do what they want. One person may watch football while another reads a book. Kids may play video games, work on a puzzle or disappear into their rooms for a while.
Being together doesn’t require being together every minute.
Sunday can remain just as relaxed. Make another favorite breakfast, take an afternoon walk or pull out a board game before preparing a traditional Sunday dinner. Roast chicken, pot roast, baked pasta or another family favorite can provide the finishing touch to the weekend—and leftovers may even solve Monday night’s dinner problem.
Most importantly, don’t turn a cozy weekend into another project that has to be perfect. There is no need for matching pajamas, elaborate decorations or a picture-perfect tray of snacks. Fall memories can be much simpler: something good cooking in the kitchen, a movie everyone has seen too many times, blankets on the sofa and nowhere anyone has to be.
Sometimes the best weekend plan is simply staying home.
