It’s the spookiest time of the year if you celebrate Halloween, or one of the most important festivals – Samhain – if you’ve an interest in pagan or Celtic lore/history. Samhain traditionally marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter, where darkness overpowers day (in the Northern hemisphere at least) and communities look towards colder nights of enjoying the fruits that summer bore. It’s a time for the warmth of the fire, being indoors, and feasting. Sounds good to me!

If you’re into the spookier stuff, plenty of Halloween events continue on into November, including plenty of ghost tours, ghost hunts, and haunted sleepovers, as I mentioned in my piece about Spooky Places To Visit.

If that’s not your jam, then check out my foodie focused piece about how to cook up an amazing Autumn Feast using ingredients and produce from Northern suppliers.

To be honest, I lean more towards the latter part than the former. Whilst I do love the lighter summer foods, and the brightness of the days, I do find myself loving the “winter” food that we can now enjoy on a colder evening; casserole and dumplings; roast chicken dinner with yorkshire puddings; more pie than can ever be considered a good idea, and plenty more calorific things like that!

The fading of the year needn’t be a time for sadness, thinking that there nothing to look forward until the spring rolls around. Instead, I say we should lean in, and find the beauty in the dark and in the cold. Look out for wildlife that we don’t get to see at other times of the year; take brisk walks through countryside or along the beach, and enjoy the cosy fire (fake or otherwise) when you get home in the evening. Also, statistically, the better telly is on in the winter as well… so there’s always that!

However you’re welcoming in the fading of the year, I urge it to be just that; a welcome. Embrace the chill, and look for the wonder!