As 2025’s ‘Summer of Nothing’ comes to an end, so do the unbearable heat waves and the random and undefined trends of the season. From here on, the blazing summer warmth slowly dies down– and the smooth crisp air of autumn slowly settles in, inspiring and motivating many individuals to look forward to a season full of traditions. At this time of year, Starbucks finally rolls out their anticipated seasonal menu of pumpkin spice flavored drinks. People dress themselves from head to toe in seasonal wear characterized by the season’s warm, earthy tones. But aside from all this– the season has just begun.
From September through November, one thing comes to mind for many– the time for festivities. Ranging between Halloween and Thanksgiving, each giving individuals a taste of the reason, whether it be through the form of sweet candy in Halloween buckets or a wide variety of delectable foods laid out along the dinner table.
For Rylee-Shae Lokan though, her favorite holiday would be Halloween. “Over the fall break, I get my costume ready with my family. Then when the day finally comes, my friends and I go trick or treating around the community. During these walks, my friends and I also started singing Halloween songs in front of different homes– which started last year and has become one of my favorite memories to look back onto,” Lokan said.
For many, Halloween means spooky horror movies, sweet candy delights, and trendy costumes– but for Lokan, it gives her the opportunity to build closer bonds and connections with her family and friends.
While others look forward to the arrival of fall festivities, others would rather stay at home and watch their favorite seasonal movies and tv shows, especially the ones that evoke that special feeling of Fall. From the film classic “You’ve Got Mail” to everyone’s Halloween favorite, “Hocus Pocus,” these movies are some Fall Favorites for the season.
For more titles related to Halloween, Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween feature a new movie everyday and people might find a new movie to watch annually. For others like Ava Palafox, she enjoys rewatching “Gilmore Girls” every Fall because of the show’s cozy and seasonal vibe it conveys. “During the lockdown in 2020, I was looking for a new show to watch and I eventually came across Gilmore Girls. It’s now one of my favorites and a comfort show I enjoy watching.” The show features and centers around mother daughter duo, Lorelai and Rory, and explores their daily lives while living in a small town. “I love the relationship Rory has with her mom throughout the show. I find her very relatable, which is another reason why I enjoy this show so much,” Palafox said. With the use of cozy cinematic delights, people can view autumn through a perspective they usually don’t experience.
Each season conveys a different emotion or feeling, and autumn is no exception. Kelsha Hernandez, a teacher at James Campbell High School, chooses to use art as one of her creative outlets for the season. “Inktober is an art challenge involving the use of only ink pens to draw different prompts throughout the month of October. Each day, I’m constantly pushed to explore new subjects, styles, or techniques, by being more spontaneous with my artworks. By using ink only, it serves as a challenge and an opportunity for me to make due with the errors I make along the way,” Hernandez said. With the use of this art challenge, many people across the world can connect and share their artworks with each other by using social media. “I love how it promotes creativity and the discussion of artistic pieces. Just seeing thousands of different artists tackling the same prompts creates a feeling of connection with others. I find a lot of excitement in contributing to a massive artwork gallery and seeing how others interpret the same prompt,” Hernandez said. “This makes ink a powerful, tangible metaphor for real life. Instead of looking at a mistake as an endpoint, we can view it as a problem to be creatively solved, in which we can build grit and resilience from. As a teacher, having my students participate in the Inktober challenge is a unique way to turn this artistic constraint into a vital life lesson on adaptability, commitment, and the courage to create even when things aren’t perfect!”
This season has so much more to offer. There’s still time to participate in the season’s variety of traditions such as Waimanalo Farms on the Eastside of O’ahu, or Aloun Farms in Kapolei.
