New Ideas for Gatherings This Fall

Autumn is a great time to celebrate with your friends and family. The cooler weather and change of seasons encourages outdoor excursions, but it's also a fantastic excuse to get together with your favorite people. Think beyond the hay ride or annual costume party. This year, adjust your party paradigm a bit with these new ideas for gatherings.

Fall Photo Field Trip
This one's great for families with young children, but teens and adults can enjoy this, too. Make sure everyone has a camera (a camera phone works, too), and go someplace where the sights, sounds, and even the tastes of the season call out to you. Focus in on the little details at a local pumpkin patch, or a walk in the woods, even a cornfield maze. You'll be surprised what you find by slowing down and taking a close look at the textures and colors. Create a hashtag on social media sites to share the photos with everyone in your group.

Autumn "Crafternoon"
Ask everyone to bring an inexpensive woven grapevine wreath, a hot glue gun, and an assortment of embellishments. It can be anything from pretty leaves from your yard, a spool of fall-themed ribbon, an assortment of acorns and pinecones, or even sliced, dried fruits like oranges and lemons. Even dried corn husks and bunches of dried grass can look fantastic on a fall-themed wreath! Share the bounty with each other and make something beautiful.

Harvest Soup Gathering
Everyone likes a bowl of hot soup on a chilly day! Invite your friends and family to bring a pot of their favorite hearty soup or stew and a copy of the recipe. Provide enough bowls and spoons for everyone to try the offerings, and maybe some fresh, crusty bread to dip. Encourage your friends to bring to-go containers and share the leftovers.

Fall Scavenger Hunt
This get-together can be tailored for the age of your guests, and encourages everyone to enjoy the crisp fall weather. Make a list of fall-themed items, such as acorns and a red leaf (for teens and adults, make it more challenging by asking them to identify the tree from which they originated). Other good items for your hunt might be, a small pumpkin, Indian corn, and seed pods. Celebrate afterwards at your home with cinnamon donuts and hot cider.

Scarecrow Party
You don't have to have a vegetable garden to enjoy the personality and seasonal fun of a scarecrow. Ask everyone to bring a bag of worn-out clothing and an old twig broom to use as a base. As the host, supply rags, fiberfill or straw to fill out the clothing, and twine or string to close the arms and legs of the clothes. If you're using pumpkins for scarecrow heads, carve them first, or you can simply use pillowcases and draw or paint on the faces. They can be as frightening, friendly or funny as you choose.

Fall is all about change, so give your typical autumn get-together a makeover! Find a new way to enjoy the season and the company of your favorite people, and start a new tradition.

Content by Kimberly Morgan.