End-of-summer, get-ready-for-fall rituals

Woohoo!  Kelly from Make Grow Gather gave me a shout-out on her blog.  Love it when that happens.  Thanks Kelly!

Anyways, she was having the post-vacation blues.  And we were discussing the best ways to get over that funk and say goodbye summer and hello to fall!

For me, I have a end of summer ritual that works every year.  It includes two things...

First, I kick off an ode to summer weekend that includes lots of swimming, margaritas and BBQ.  It is like I want to soak in as much summer-time-goodness as possible to get me through until next summer.  But then after the soaking-in has reached its maximum point (i.e. I am usually sunburned), I start the next step.

I begin my fall preparation ritual.  I make oatmeal cookies and start thinking about camping trips, smores, tall brown boots, football, pumpkins, cinnamon, and sippin' hot chocolate.  I figure out what kind of fall wreath I want to hang on my front door.  I begin to flip through recipes for fire-alarm chili, pot roast, and apple crisp.  I plan what great things I will grow in my fall garden. I brainstorm what my awesome Halloween costume will be this year and how we will decorate to scare the trick-or-treaters just right. And I try to remember where I stored my beat-up, comfy sweater that looks good with just about everything.

So far I have been very lucky with my ritual.  It gets me in the mood for fall every time.

Let's keep this conversation going.  We only have a few more weeks of summer left.  What are your end-of-summer, get-ready-for-fall rituals? 

Photo via Gourmet