Okay, first things first: apparently it is not the fall solstice.
It is the fall equinox.
I know. I have also been calling things whatever I want for basically my entire life.
For 2026, the autumnal equinox lands on Tuesday, September 22. Here in Colorado Springs, it happens at 6:05 p.m. MDT, according to Timeanddate.
Which means this is our actual, astronomical permission slip to become completely insufferable about fall.
Bring out the blankets. Buy the apples. Put cinnamon in things that have absolutely no business containing cinnamon.
And while there are approximately one million beautiful spiritual and witchy ways to celebrate the fall equinox, maybe that isn’t really your thing.
Maybe you just want to acknowledge the change of season without charging crystals, making moon water, or accidentally opening a portal in your kitchen.
Same.
So here are some extremely easy, not-so-witchy ways to celebrate the fall equinox.
1. Open Every Window In Your House
This is ridiculously simple, but it feels SO GOOD.
Open the windows. Let the old stale summer air out. Let that slightly chilly fall air come in.
You don’t have to cleanse anything.
You are literally just airing out your house.
But tell me it doesn’t somehow feel like your entire life has been reset afterward.
2. Go On A Sunset Walk
The equinox is all about that weird little moment of balance between daylight and darkness, so this is actually a pretty perfect night to go outside and watch the sun disappear.
No ceremony required.
Just put on a sweatshirt, grab a drink and go wander around for a while.
Bonus points if there are crunchy leaves involved.
3. Make Something That Smells Like Fall
I don’t care if you bake an entire apple pie from scratch or heat up one of those cinnamon rolls in a tube.
We are not judging anyone here.
Apples. Cinnamon. Pumpkin bread. Chai. Soup bubbling on the stove.
There is something about making your house smell like fall that tells your brain, okay, we’re doing this now.
4. Get Rid Of One Bag Of Stuff
Before winter turns us all into little indoor cave creatures, get one bag of stuff out of your house.
Just one.
Clothes you don’t wear. Bathroom products you hate. The mystery cords you’ve been saving since 2017 because apparently someday the entire world will desperately need a Mini USB cable.
You do not need to transform your entire house.
One bag out.
Instant tiny reset.
5. Buy Yourself Some Grocery Store Flowers
This might be my favorite because it requires almost no effort.
Grab some sunflowers, mums or whatever looks aggressively autumnal at the grocery store and stick them on your table.
There.
Fall celebration complete.
Nobody even had to forage.
6. Write Down What You Want To Leave In Summer
Okay, this one sounds dangerously close to becoming witchy, but stay with me.
It’s basically just a brain dump.
Write down a few things you are completely over.
A habit. A project. A weird grudge. The pile of clothes sitting on that chair. Saying yes to things you absolutely don’t want to do.
You don’t have to burn the paper under a full moon.
You can throw it directly into the trash like a normal person.
Honestly, very satisfying.
7. Light The Good Candle
You know the candle.
The one you’re saving.
I don’t know what we’re all saving our expensive candles for, but apparently we’ve collectively decided there will eventually be some sort of candle emergency.
Light it.
It’s fall.
This is the emergency.
8. Eat Dinner Outside
If the weather cooperates, eat one meal outside before it gets cold enough that doing so becomes an act of survival.
It doesn’t have to be fancy.
Order pizza. Make soup. Eat a sandwich.
Just sit outside while the air is cool and everything starts getting dark a little earlier.
This is one of those tiny seasonal moments we’ll all be desperately missing sometime around February.
9. Make A Fall Playlist And Go For A Drive
This is especially good if you live somewhere the leaves actually change colors.
Roll the windows down a little, put together an aggressively fall playlist and drive somewhere pretty.
You don’t need a destination.
You need coffee, music and trees.
Honestly, this might be the entire point of September.
10. Give Yourself Permission To Slow Down
Summer always feels like GO GO GO.
Trips. Activities. Plans. Sunshine until approximately bedtime.
Fall feels different.
Things get darker earlier. We come inside. We make soup. We start putting blankets on every available surface of the house.
So maybe the best way to celebrate the fall equinox is simply to acknowledge that shift.
Cancel something.
Put your phone down for an hour.
Watch a movie under a blanket.
Make dinner slowly.
Go to bed early.
You don’t need a complicated ritual to mark the beginning of a new season.
Sometimes you just have to notice that it changed.
And maybe light that ridiculously expensive candle you’ve been saving.
Seriously.
Light the candle.
