Getting into the Festive Spirit for Fall: With Seasonal Recipes

As the fall season is here, make sure to check out these mouthwatering recipes as well as fun activities and stunning decorations to enhance the fall season.

With the arrival of fall, one thing is for sure – Christmas is just around the corner! And despite the cold snap that greets most of us at this time of the year, it’s typically a period filled with love, laughter, and joy, as families all around the world come together to celebrate.

So, to help you prepare for the most beautiful time of the year, we’ve put together nine tips that will help you concoct delicious meals, have fun with your family, and make your house look stunning. 

Sound good? Let’s dive in!

Delicious Meal Ideas 

Let’s get one thing straight –an essential aspect of the festive period is food! December is all about preparing festive feasts for your loved ones, no matter where you live and what you get up to. And the more indulgent your food is, the better! 

Christmas is a time when it’s perfectly acceptable to indulge in rich, flavorsome foods that might not regularly appear on the dinner table. Morish cheeses, moist poultry, and rich chutneys are the order of the day and make for a beautiful festive spread. 

While we could spend this entire article introducing festive meal ideas, we’ve limited ourselves to three – a starter, main course, and dessert that will wow your cheerful dinner guests. 

Goat’s Cheese, Pear, and Walnut Tartines 

This utterly indulgent starter is effortless to put together. The combination of rich and creamy goat’s cheese and honey-glazed pears is to die for. It’s served up on top of freshly baked granary bread and sprinkled with crunchy walnuts. Simply divine! Check out the full recipe and instructions here.

Roasted Duck with Marsala Gravy 

Are you looking for an alternative to something a little different from turkey at Christmas this year? If so, roasted duck is an excellent alternative to serve up to the family. The marsala gravy adds oriental flavoring to your Christmas dinner by combining spices, onions, garlic, and other herbs and spices. It’s bound to be a winner! Check out the full recipe and instructions here.

Chestnut Cheesecake 

While we all love mince pies, cheesecakes are pretty hard to resist, too! This decadent chestnut cheesecake makes the most of festive ingredients and is a sweet and moreish way to round off your Christmas meal. Check out the full recipe and instructions here.

Fun Family Activities 

Now that you know what to serve up to your expectant family and friends this festive period, it’s time to look at innovative ways to keep them entertained. After all, arranging fun, positive activities while the family is home is a brilliant way to create memories. With that in mind, here are three fun family activities you can plan for this festive season. 

Board Game Marathon 

In households worldwide, Christmas is the time of year when you wipe the dust off your favorite board games and do everything you can to stop your dad from cheating! Of course, it would be futile to list all of the board games you could play with your family this festive season, but consider the likes of Monopoly, Risk, and Balderdash if you’re in it for the long run. For something less intense and quicker, consider the fun card game Skip-Bo as an alternative. 

Christmas Lead-Up Movie Nights 

In the week leading up to Christmas, turn your living room into a movie theater! Look for seven family Christmas movies on your favorite streaming platform (or DVDs) – The Grinch, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, etc. – and designate a night for each. Then, get the kids involved in making popcorn or homemade brownies for delicious snacks, and let the countdown to Christmas commence! It’s the perfect way to get the whole family in the Christmas spirit. 

Countryside Walk 

There’s something special about wrapping up warm and heading out into the cold with your loved ones. So to create a WhatsApp group and arrange a time, day, and place to meet up with friends and family in the great outdoors. So whether you head for a blustery beachside walk or take in some of nature’s trails in the local countryside, being outside and walking with your entire family is an excellent way to shed some of those excess calories and enjoy some much-needed fresh air! 

Gorgeous Decorations

Another super remarkable aspect of the festive season is the way we decorate our homes. Do you go all out on the external lights and curbside ornaments? Or do you prefer something a little more minimalist and subtle? No matter how you opt to decorate your home this festive period, here are three elegant décor ideas that will ideally add to the aesthetics of your home. 

Homemade Wreaths 

When affixed to your front door, few things are as inviting as a festive wreath. And while you can buy one from a store, consider making your own. Please pick up a wire ring, decorate it with greens from your yard, and ask your kids to add various Christmas ornaments. You will be amazed by what you produce! 

Christmas Lights 

Whether you live in an apartment, townhouse, or countryside estate, you need to throw up some Christmas lights to show your neighbors that you’re well and truly in the festive spirit! But what to go for? Ultimately, it’s entirely up to you! For something minimalistic, consider fairy lights or subtle Christmas lights with a yellow/white glow. But if you want to turn heads, opt for multicolored bulbs that light up just like a Christmas tree! 

Indoor Christmas Plants 

Yes, everyone needs a Christmas tree, but there’s also merit in investing in some tasteful Christmas plants to enhance the scents and even boost air circulation in your home. The garish reds of poinsettia or amaryllis will perfectly complement the greens so synonymous with the festive season. Or, you could even invest in a Christmas cactus, which is particularly popular around the Thanksgiving holiday.

Are You Ready for the Festive Season This Year? 

The last eighteen months have been challenging for us all, but with the world returning to a semblance of normality, we can look forward to the festive period again this year! Hopefully, the top tips we’ve shared in this article will help you prepare for Christmas with your loved ones and allow you to create many happy memories as a result.