Fall is a favorite season for many people in our part of the country. The summer heat has faded, the air turns refreshingly crisp, and the trees burst into beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. There’s also that growing sense of anticipation as the holiday season approaches.
As native Californians, we love all these things about fall, too—but we’re also very aware that colder days are right around the corner. 🥶 (Spoiler: spring is actually our favorite season!) Still, we genuinely enjoy fall, and the energy in the air as the holidays draw near is pretty fun.
We thought we’d share a few things our family has been loving this fall, along with some ideas as we head into the holiday season!
1. Pray the Word with David Platt
We like listening to podcasts during our morning routines. In those morning moments when we're not sitting down with our Bibles - like when we’re exercising, making a cup of tea, or packing our little boy’s lunch - it’s nice to have something playing that continues to renew our minds and posture our hearts toward Christ before the day really begins. One podcast we recently added to our rotation is Pray the Word with David Platt. Each episode is short but incredibly encouraging. David Platt briefly reflects on a passage of Scripture and then prays according to that Scripture. We appreciate how clearly it models what it looks like to pray God’s Word and we especially love that he always ends by praying for an unreached people group.
2. My Dear Hemlock
I (Carly) had been hearing about this book a lot at the end of the summer and when I went to purchase it before a recent family trip, I couldn't! It was sold and on backorder everywhere! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to read it on the trip, but I was able to find it when we got home and am reading it now. Tilly Dillehay has written My Dear Hemlock in a similar fashion to C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters (which we also recommend!), but specifically directed toward wives. I've been encouraged and convicted by it so far and have already gifted it to a couple of friends for their birthdays.
3. Consider the Lilies
Chris and I usually have a book we read together at night before going to sleep. Right now, we’re working through Consider the Lilies. It’s been such an encouragement in the midst of the various trials our family has been walking through this year. The reminders of God’s sovereignty, love, care, and goodness over every part of our lives have grounded us in truth, even when circumstances feel heavy.
4. Little Christmas Carol
We always love adding a book for the kids in these lists, and this is one we’re especially excited to gift them next month. A favorite Christmas tradition in our home is the advent “calendar” we made that hangs across the mantle. Each day in December, the kids open a small bag that holds a note inside. Chris and I write new notes every year, and they might include anything from making treats for our neighbors, going to a special family event, receiving a small gift, making hot cocoa and watching a Christmas movie, doing a craft together, or finding a way to serve or encourage someone during the holiday season. The kids love it. One of the surprises for this December is a book we tried to get last year but couldn’t as it was sold out and on backorder everywhere (are you catching the theme? 😆). We’re excited to read this beautifully illustrated version of A Christmas Carol with them this year.
5. Fontana Candle Co.
This last favorite is a little outside the box, but it still fits the book-and-gift theme. I love scented candles, especially in the fall and winter to help make the house feel warm, cozy, and inviting. But I’m also pretty careful about keeping things in our home as clean and non-toxic as possible. I’d been looking for a “clean” candle company for awhile, but it’s surprisingly hard to find candles that are both non-toxic and actually smell good when you burn them. I recently came across Fontana Candle Co., and it checks all the boxes: the scents are strong enough to fill the room, the wood wick gives that little crackle we love while we’re reading in the living room, and they’re actually the first candle company to be MADE SAFE® Certified. And did you know beeswax candles can even help clean the air a bit? When they burn, they release negative ions that attach to things like dust and pollen, helping them fall instead of float around. We also love that Fontana is another small, family-owned company.