October is my favorite month. I’m not alone. October ranks in the top three in a number of surveys, vying with May for the top spot.
Here is my personal, unscientific top ten reasons to love October.
10. October starts with my birthday and ends with Halloween
Okay, so not everyone is born in October, but if you love cooler weather, falling leaves and crisp air, this is the birthday month for you. If you’re mad for Halloween, also like me, you have 31 days of fun in store.
Mike finds beautiful Halloween cards for my birthday
9. It’s a lovely month in both hemispheres
I’ve learned a lot about the southern hemisphere in my years of blogging. Most of us complain about the bitter winter months, but October is the start of spring for my friends in New Zealand and Australia, and the beginning of autumn here in San Jose. Everybody wins!
8. The return of gardening weather
Finally! The earth tilts on its axis as we head toward winter and cooler weather prevails. I can water the plants, pull weeds and put the garden in order without risking heat stroke.
Hydrangea’s fall colors
7. Pumpkins
If you’ve been following along for a while, you’ll know that I dedicate a lot of blog “real estate” to growing, care-taking, harvesting and decorating with pumpkins. My husband takes over on Halloween, carving the pumpkins we grow into lovely works of art. We save some of the seeds to plant the following year. We offer the pulp and a generous helping of seeds to the squirrels to who are busy foraging for the winter. The neighborhood squirrels planted their extra seeds this year, turning out all the lovely pumpkins in this photo. I’ve even dedicated a page to our love of pumpkins. Can you see it at the top of the blog?
Growing and harvesting pumpkins
6. Planning a Halloween costume
My love of theater and sewing merge in October. I get to plan and create a costume for a couple of parties and if I’m not too tired, I’ll wear it on Halloween night. My sister Sharon and I have always had fun dressing up. I gave it up for many years, turning my attention to the boy’s costumes instead. In recent years, I’m back in the swing of things and I always have fun. This year I’m actually renting my costume, but sewing one for my husband. Stay tuned for the silly details.
5. National Chocolate Day
It should come as no surprise that the National Confectioners Associate designated October 28th as National Chocolate Day. As a lifetime chocolate lover working hard to keep sugar at bay, I’m thinking this might be just the day for me. I can choose to indulge in this delectable treat once a year, banishing it from my daily diet and making it a special treat. As always, I’m a work in progress.
This chocolate pumpkin was a gift from a friend one year
4. National Cat Day
Every day is cat day in this household. That said, I appreciate the intentions of this charitable organization. They seek to:
” help the public recognize the number of cats that need to be rescued. The day also encourages cat lovers to celebrate the cats in their lives for the unconditional love and companionship that they bestow upon them.
This day is sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation and was created by Pet Lifestyle Expert and Animal Welfare Advocate, Colleen Paige, in 2005. Since its inception, it has helped save the lives of more than one million cats.” Source: National Day Calendar
My son’s larger-than-life, inflatable cat. Mouse the cat is the real deal.
3. Rain in the Forecast
After months of dry weather, October kicks off our rainy season. I love the rain as much as I love pumpkins. You know that is saying a lot.
Once upon a time it rained in San Jose
2. Snuggle weather
After months of hot, dry days, it’s a delight to curl up under a warm blanket with a hot mug of tea at hand. Longer evenings give themselves over to more indoor leisure like assembling a puzzle, reading a thick book (or more blogs!) and making crafts.
1. Halloween
Halloween is the second most popular holiday in America, behind Christmas. It evolved over the years “from Medieval rituals to the 1950’s kid-centered activity it is today.” You can follow this link to history.com to watch a two-minute video on the origins of the day. My youngest son, now 16, still enjoys the festivities. He and a friend create a “haunted deck” each year, using black plastic sheeting and an assortment of props. We live in a neighborhood populated with young children and words gets around. Last year we handed out candy to nearly 400 trick-or-treating children. There are knocks at the door for nearly three hours. It’s festive and fun. Everyone’s exhausted by November 1st, ready to settle in to cooler days, but until then, Halloween is great fun.
Is October your favorite month?
Gardening Nirvana 
May is my favourite. The cyclone season is over, leaving us safe for another 9 months. The heat and humidity are starting to drop, and the endless rains of the Wet are fading. My garden finally has a chance to fight back against mildew, blossom end rot and hordes of ravening insects. I can choose my clothes by colour and style, instead of considering how cool they’ll be in the heat of the day. Having said that, I like October too. The garden is waking up, lots of things are starting to flower and there’s a promise of fruit on the mango trees 🙂
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Kate, your weather and insects must feel like an assault. What a relief to know that you have a 9 month stretch without that worry. We are lucky here on the humidity front. Even at our hottest, it is rarely humid. I hear you on the fashion choices. I tried to wear as little as possible while remaining dignified, but it’s miserable when you can’t escape the heat. When it’s cold you can always add layers.
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My favourite is March, for some of the reasons you love in October– the weather is turning cooler, but the days are often wonderfully sunny. And it’s my birthday!! But I can see why you love October — so many of your passions come together — pumpkins, cats, dressing up and Halloween. I know you love fairy gardens, and they can be created in October too. X X X
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Anne, your March is a lot like my October: cooler weather and a birthday to celebrate. What fun. Funny you should mention fairy gardens, as I now have two at home, and made a third one for a friend. I just added a few miniature Halloween touches. I’m a child at heart. Thanks for stopping by.
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I do love October for some of the reasons you mentioned – Happy Birthday, by the way! It is a great month for hiking as it is much cooler. It’s the time of year when the days are sunny and warm and the nights are very cool; great for sleeping. But now I’m especially excited to celebrate National Chocolate Day! I had no idea it existed, but you can be sure I will be celebrating it this year! Karen
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Karen, I’m so happy I could clue you in on National Chocolate Day. Enjoy! 🙂
I agree on the hiking and the sleeping. It’s cool enough to venture out and we all sleep so much better in a cool room.
Thanks for your birthday wishes!
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I think October is my favourite month too Alys. 😀 I also have an October birthday (Happy Birthday to you Alys!) but I love the autumn colours on the trees, and the cooler weather, and spending time in my kitchen again making (pumpkin) soup…. Not so keen on rainy days, but we usually get some golden days in October too. Have a wonderful month! I look forward to hearing all about the Halloween costumes this year!
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And Happy Birthday to you, Cathy! I’m excited to read more about your birthday adventures. You’re the second person to mention pumpkin soup. Isn’t ti wonderful? It’s a flavor that really satisfies, hearty and delicious.
Thank you for all your well wishes. xo
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October is my favourite month too; in a few days we’ll be celebrating our wedding anniversary and my husband’s birthday is the day before Halloween. My first niece was born on the 10th. It’s also the month of our New Year in my culture which marks a new beginning and fresh start. And of course, in Canada, it’s the month we celebrate Thanksgiving too 🙂
I can’t wait to see what you do with your husband’s costume this year!
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Happy Thanksgiving, Sara!
Happy Anniversary as well.
You have a busy month ahead. I love that your husband has a late October birthday. Does he love Halloween the way I do?
I need to get busy sewing this week. The days are flying by!
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Thanks for the well wishes – yes, it is a busy month for us and it does seem to be flying by! My husband doesn’t love halloween, but I sure do. It always gets the creative juices flowing and I’ve been lucky to be able to get my fill at work. I once had the opportunity at work to carve a pumpkin in my bosses’ likeness and it was great fun to learn ‘on the job’. At another job, when the company closed our free cafeteria, I spoofed the situation and carved a tombstone that said RIP Cafeteria. I set it up as a display in one of the empty cubbies and also displayed a cafeteria tray with spiders crawling all over it and cobwebs – amongst other fun things to poke fun at.
I can’t wait to see what you do this year!!!
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Sara, you are my kind of woman. I love your creativity. Do you have photos of any of these Halloween creations? My husband loves carving the pumpkins and does a beautiful job. I have no patience for it so we make a beautiful team.
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Thanks Alys – I feel the same way about you too and I absolutely LOVE your writing style. I always look forward to reading your posts; they’re all so interesting and unique! My hubs and I make a beautiful team too; he doesn’t have patience for planning or fine details but he’s brilliant at McGyvering things and figuring out how to put things together.
Now that you mention it, I must have some pictures knocking around somewhere so now you have me wondering where I put them! I’m going to look. If I find them, I don’t see anywhere to attach pics in this response box. What’s the best way to send them to you?
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Actually, once I found the Halloween pictures you inspired me to write a post about them 🙂 To see the pics, check it out at https://wordpress.com/post/birdzofafeatherhome.wordpress.com/19426
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I’m so glad you did! What fun, Sara. And you’re adorable.
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Can’t wait to see your costumes this year! Love that you’ve worked in National Cat Day, a big fav around here 😸 It is a wonderful, cozy time of year!
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Thank you, Barb! Will the felines receive a special treat on NCD?
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I can certainly see why Oct is your favorite. Did someone say “chocolate?” That would make it mine too. I love October for many reasons, especially that the heat is abating and we get rain again. I think my favorite month may oddly be January, now that I think about it. All the holidays are behind me and I can read and relax for a time. The rest of the year feels like so much pressure to get all these things done. By March, I’m back to outside work mode so I count Jan & Feb as hibernation months to restore. I’m anxious to see this years costumes and pumpkins though. I think we had 10 kids for Halloween last year so I will probably not do it. I’m here alone this year so it’s better to not have a bunch a candy left over. 🙂 If it’s chocolate, it has my name on it. 😦
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There is a lot to be said for having the holidays behind us. It’s a hectic time, no matter how much planning. We get most of our rain around that time too.
I’m with you on the leftover chocolate. Or the chocolate before it’s ever handed out. It’s too tempting once it’s in the house.
Frankly, when I lived alone I did not open the door. It just didn’t seem like a good idea, not matter the neighborhood.
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T.S won’t be here and my daughter won’t either as it’s a work night so I will sit in the dark and read blogs. There were less than a dozen here last year so It’s just not worth the weight gain. 🙂 I love the holidays but once they are over, I can breathe again. T. S. will be home for Christmas then off again. 🙂
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That was fun! I loved all the photo’s especially you and Mouse. Reading thru the comments here is interesting. October see’s Kate’s mango tree wake up while ours are quickly going nite-nite. Your October is more like our September. October is rather cool and wet up this way, while September is colourful with just the right amount of heat. I like different parts of months for different reasons, so I don’t think there’s one in particular that I can choose. My favourite time of year in Edmonton is the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August. Let’s call it Julust shall we,LOL! It’s also the most coveted time on work calendars for holidays. It’s when the majority of festivals take place here. It’s when my garden flowers peak and everything blooms in harmony. The days are long enough to enjoy the summer sun but night comes early enough to have a fire outside if you wish and look at the stars. There’s also a long weekend smack in the middle so you can drink it all up if you weren’t the lucky one at work to be able to schedule any time off. It’s also, if you’re very very blessed, friends can visit from far away and enjoy the season with you ❤ ❤ <3. It's win win win with Julust here in Edmonton xo K
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Wow! You put a lot of thought into this. I love Julust. It’s fun and just a tiny bit illicit. You’ll have to get that on to all the marketing material for the festivals.
Win-win-win is right. I sure hit the jackpot. Love you to pieces.
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Hello Alys, love all these photos! I don’t really have a favourite month, there’s usually something to love about all of them somewhere along the line – though I have to admit September is pretty up there every year 🙂 I’m so impressed with your pumpkins – have I said this before i wonder? – the fact that self seeded [squirrel seeded] do so much better than Alys planted ones 🙂 I’m sure t’s them giving back to you and making amends for swing covers and so on. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what you come up with for Halloween costumes this year. xo
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Pauline, I should probably just head outside now, toss out all the seeds in my possession, and not look back. You’re right: the squirrel planted seeds are robust and bug free, getting by on borrowed water. It’s quite amazing.
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I love your list – so many wonderful things to celebrate! I’m not sure I have a favourite month – perhaps April.
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Happy Birthday, dear Alys!! ♥ I just love your Top Ten list. That sweet chocolate pumpkin was the perfect treat for you. My favorite month is May ~ when the garden springs to life again. I’m a Christmas person (with a December birthday), but my husband just loves Halloween. We are all decorated inside with pumpkin-everything. As the big day approaches, a few jack-o-lanterns will make an appearance. One of my favorite October celebrations is making Pumpkin Soup! We just spotted organic Red Kuri pumpkins at Whole Foods this week. So, our Pumpkin Fest family gathering is coming soon! Can’t wait for your Halloween costume big reveal! It’s sure to be spook-tacular! Cherish each October day, Alys! ♡
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Thank you for the birthday wishes, Dawn. It’s been a fun October so far. I’m glad you liked the top ten list. Our April is like your May: everything springs to life. The birds sing, the flowers bloom and there is a special something in the air. When is your December birthday? Will you share? I hope it’s early in the month so that you didn’t feel “robbed” growing up, as so many of my December baby friends did. You have such a good attitude about everything, that I imagine you made the best of all of it. I love pumpkin soup! Oh yum. And you have a Pumpkin Fest family gathering, too. That’s lovely. I had a Halloween party for nine years in a row when the boys were young. It was an afternoon affair, with a bounce house rented in the yard for all that energy. Inside, I bought small pumpkins for everyone to decorate and I served orange food. We had an area set up for photos for anyone who came in costume (or not) and the kids had so much fun.
Then they outgrew it, and that was that. Now I attend adult parties with Mike and we still have fun. We have nearly 400 trick or treaters at our door on Halloween and by November we are good and tuckered out. 🙂
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October is usually a good month here but your October sounds far more exciting than mine. Happy Birthday Alys. I am thinking of you having lots of fun with pumpkins which hopefully will be safely harvested before the rain falls.
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Thanks for your birthday wishes. My friends and family always make me feel extra special. As for the pumpkins, I have one left in the ground, full-sized but green. Our weather is all over the map of late, with summer like temps by day, cooling into the night. I’m sure that last pumpkin is quite confused. Rain is forecast for Friday (be still my heart), so I’ll keep an eye on it and see what the week brings. Thanks for commenting.
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Love, love, love this post and I love October, too!! The colors, the temperatures, the festivals, the spring in the step, the wearing of slippers … all of it. Happiness!
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Thank you, Laurie! I’ve just slipped into my slippers so I’m grinning reading your comment. I should add “the spring in your step” to the list. It was a miserable 90 degrees here yesterday, which seems so unfair after the little autumn tease we had earlier in the week. I’m so ready for rain and cooler temps.
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