There’s something about fall that makes ordinary things feel a little more special.
A walk becomes a chance to admire the changing leaves, making dinner turns into an excuse to add pumpkin or apples, and suddenly staying home with a blanket and a warm drink sounds like an excellent plan.
Here in Canada, fall can feel like a brief, colourful pause between summer and winter. But have you ever wondered what is actually happening around us when the leaves change, the days get shorter, and the Sun seems to take a slightly different route across the sky?
Fun Fall Ideas: A Season of Change
So, Why Does Fall Happen?
Despite what you may have heard, fall isn’t caused by Earth being farther away from the Sun. In fact, Earth’s distance from the Sun isn’t what creates our seasons.
The real reason is Earth’s tilt. Our planet’s axis is tilted about 23.4 degrees. As Earth travels around the Sun, that tilt changes the angle and amount of sunlight reaching different parts of the planet. In the Northern Hemisphere, after summer, our part of Earth gradually tilts away from the Sun. The Sun appears lower in the sky, daylight decreases, and temperatures generally begin to fall.
The fall season officially begins astronomically with the September equinox, when the Sun crosses the plane of Earth’s equator. Day and night are roughly equal around this time, although they’re not perfectly equal everywhere because of Earth’s atmosphere and other factors.
So while it may look as though the Sun is moving south across the sky, it’s really our tilted planet changing its orientation as it orbits the Sun.
What Parts of The World Get a Proper Fall?
Canada is certainly part of that fall club. Much of the United States, Europe, and parts of northern and eastern Asia also experience a noticeable autumn, particularly in temperate regions.
The Southern Hemisphere gets the same seasonal cycle, just at the opposite time of year. While Canadians are pulling out sweaters in September and October, places such as parts of southern Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina are heading into spring.
Closer to the equator, however, the traditional four-season pattern becomes much less pronounced. Many tropical regions experience seasons that are better described by rainfall, such as wet and dry seasons, rather than dramatic changes from summer to fall to winter.
Fall, Autumn… or Harvest?
Here’s a little language mystery: why do we have two names for the same season?
“Autumn” entered English in the late 1300s, coming through French from the Latin autumnus. Before that, English speakers commonly used harvest as the name of the season. That makes perfect sense when you remember that autumn was historically a crucial time for gathering crops and preparing food for the coming winter.
Then came “fall.” In 16th-century English, phrases such as “fall of the leaf” were used to describe the season. Eventually, the expression was shortened to simply “fall.” The word remained common in England for a while, but “autumn” eventually became dominant in Britain, while “fall” became especially common in North America.
So, depending on where you live, you might be enjoying autumn, fall, or if we’d stuck with the oldest English name…harvest!
A Few Fun Fall Things to Try
Why not make the season an excuse to try something new?
- Take up leaf photography. You don’t need a special camera. Try photographing the same tree every few days and watch its colours change.
- Make something seasonal. Apple crisp, pumpkin soup, cinnamon muffins, roasted squash, homemade bread, or a big pot of stew all feel especially appropriate when the weather cools down.
- Try a new outdoor hobby. Go hiking, birdwatching, nature sketching, or simply explore a trail you’ve never visited before.
- Have a cozy reading challenge. Pick a few books you’ve been meaning to read and make yourself a little autumn reading corner.
- Make something with your hands. Knitting, crocheting, painting, woodworking, baking, candle-making, or even learning to make homemade jam can turn a chilly afternoon into a productive one.
And don’t forget one of fall’s simplest pleasures: going for a walk specifically to kick through a pile of leaves, or just take in some cool, beautiful scenery.
A Season of Change
Fall has always been connected with change and preparation. Historically, it was the season of gathering the harvest before winter arrived. Today, most of us aren’t storing enough grain and vegetables to get an entire household through the winter, but there still feels like something satisfying about that rhythm: gathering, preparing, slowing down, and getting ready for what comes next.
Maybe that’s part of why fall feels so comforting.
Final Thoughts
The days may be getting shorter, but there are still lots of things to enjoy: warm food, colourful trees, new hobbies, crisp walks, good books, and the occasional pumpkin-flavoured everything.
Fall was always one of my favourite seasons growing up, and I always get that cozy feeling this time of year.
Also it just feels like a good buffer between the hot summers and cold winters here in my neck of the woods.
Sometimes a change of seasons is just a nice excuse to switch things up a bit, and give us a little variety in our lives. It can also good reminder that change doesn’t always have to be heavy.
How do you experience fall or autumn where you live? Do you have any other fun fall activities planned this year?
Thanks so much for reading!
What Are Some Fall Dessert Ideas?
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