Happy October! During this time of the year, I hope there is at least one thing that you can be excited about and look forward to whether it be the cooler weather, PSL or the numerous festive holidays coming up       

Mid-Autumn Festival happens to fall on 10/4 this year and it is a harvest festival/holiday commonly celebrated in Asia. Although the holiday is celebrated a little differently between each country, it is typically a time where family gathers to spend quality time together. Simply put, you can compare this to our Thanksgiving in November. 

The festival takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar celebrating the moon when it’s supposedly the roundest and fullest during the year. The most common and representative tradition of the day is to eat mooncake - a pastry usually made with lotus seed paste surrounded by a thin crust. Mooncakes are eaten in small wedges accompanied by a cup of tea while moon watching. To me, the most important concept on this day is gathering, where it's said that the moon symbolizes family reunion when it's the brightest and roundest. The moon should still be fairly round tonight and I hope everyone can get a chance to admire the view while remembering the importance of family.....or me.

It’s the Wednesday before a 3 day weekend (whoop whoop!), and that means most of us are already starting to formulate weekend plans (if they weren’t already all booked a month ago). I have a few things on my plate this weekend too, but I have to say my favorite weekend plans will always be the ones in which I do absolutely nothing. I'd always chalked this up to the fact that I naturally tend to be an introverted homebody, but recently I came across an article from Malakye.com that explained it in a way that really resonated with me.

The article summarized: “Lazy days are the most emotionally fulfilling because they invite us to slow down and savor life when life gets overwhelming."

The article explains that when we have time to stop and notice and appreciate the small things, we are more fulfilled than when we are rushing around. This may seem like common sense, but for me I know my coffee ALWAYS tastes better on Saturday mornings. Why is that? Well, because my Saturday morning ritual involves grinding the beans, using my Chemex or Aeropress that I don’t have time for on weekdays, and (this is the weird part but bare with me) I sit on the couch and hold the steaming cup to my nose and just breathe it in for at least 5 minutes in silence while it gets cool enough to sip. It sets the tone for my whole day. I get to focus on the elements of coffee I love most instead of just trying to shoot it down to get me to work or the gym asap.

And for those of you who aren't as caffeine-minded, some other snippets from the article:

•  - Lazy days invite us to notice more and judge less. The green leaves of nature, the brightness of the yellow blossoming rose – all command an awareness of their presence and, in small ways, a curiosity of their being. An emptiness of the mind invites a fullness of expression and of knowing.

•  - It’s days of self-afforded emotionally fulfilling time luxury that we file away our to-do lists, worries, and momentary burdens for a clear, relaxed mind. And, in that space of the lazy day, everything seems to make sense and a personal sense of purpose effortlessly reveals itself. 

•  - There is no where else we need to be on a lazy day. And because of this calming effect of knowing that we’re exactly where we need to be, we’re not preoccupied by the distracting fear that we need to be somewhere else, doing something else we should be doing.

Maybe it’s not this weekend, but be sure to schedule yourself a weekend here soon that’s filled to the brim with absolutely nothing.

     It’s time to pull out your favorite decor and transform your home from cozy to spooky. It’s time to kick off the holiday season with some darkness and start brainstorming costume ideas. It’s time to start stocking up on candy and start that trick or treat mentality. I know October only just begun, but already I can’t get enough of Halloween nor the candy that comes along with it. With that being said, let's start today with a brief, yet sweet, history on Halloween candy.

     There are a couple of theories on how candy got involved with Halloween. One of the most popular being that it got its “birth” through Candy Day. Before Halloween became known as the candy day, there was Candy Day. Candy Day started in 1916 and took place on the second Saturday of October. In the 1950’s, this day took a new name and came to be known as Sweetest Day but never gained traction. It’s believed that Halloween overshadowed the day and slowly lost its candy crown. But no need to feel too sorry for the day, for today we have National Candy Day (November 4th), National Chocolate Candy Day (December 28), and National Sour Candy Day (July 18).

     Another popular theory is that it was during the late 40’s and early 50’s that Halloween candy began its partnership with the holiday as it was during this time that trick or treating was already firmly established. Many find this theory to be more credible than that of others because it was also around this time that candy companies began to realize the value of the Halloween holiday and its connection to candy. At first, candy was competing with small toys, fruit, homemade treats, and nuts. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that candy makers stepped up their game and began altering their candy towards the Halloween theme. Halloween candy only grew after this point and it wasn’t long before their relationship became official.

       Happy Pre-Halloween Everyone!!