My favorite things about fall ~ looking on the bright side #ExpatLife #AutumnNights #ThisIsHolland

Humans love to complain. Oh boy, do we love it! As a human myself, I know I can complain with the best of them. In fact, I’d say I can complain better than most! And you thought those years in the Army were for naught. But – sigh – complaining is negative and we must try to be positive. At least that’s what I tell myself. Complaining has reached a height now due to the changing of the clocks (oh where did that hour of sunlight go?) and the sudden appearance of fall (no matter that it’s nearly two months late). So, instead of complaining, I’m going to give several of my favorite things about this time of year. Feel free to steal ideas as necessary.

Christmas Lights. Yep, you read that right – Christmas lights. I have them all over my house. When the sun goes under at some ungodly early hour, I plug them in and – voila! – it’s suddenly cozy in my home.

Chocolate letters. In Holland, we celebrate Sinterklaas by eating treats and chocolate. Sinterklaas gives each child (and adult if you’re lucky) the first letter of your name in chocolate. Yes, chocolate. Yum. You can even choose the type of chocolate: milk, dark, with nuts, with raisins … Mmmmm…

Mulled wine. Mulled wine is sweet, red wine with spices like cinnamon and cloves. You drink it warm, and then it warms you up. Need I say more?

Terraces and outdoor heaters. The Netherlands is a terrace culture. In the summer, sitting on a terrace drinking a glass of wine is one of my favorite things in the world. But sitting on a terrace under a blanket with an outdoor heater keeping you warm while staring at the fairy lights strung from the trees ain’t bad either. I admit this one is bad for the environment, but it’s not like bars put out the outdoor heaters just for me.

Dark mornings. I love writing in my office in the morning before the sun rises. There’s just something about writing in the dark before the world has awoken that gets my creative juices flowing. I’m actually annoyed with the clock going back last week. I’m missing an extra hour of writing in the dark time!

Comfy pj’s. Sure, it’s fun to wear those flirty short pajama sets when the weather is warm, but nothing beats flannel pajama pants! Nothing! Well, except fleece pajama pants. I love getting into my pj’s early during the shorter days and laying under a blanket while reading.

Cuddly blankets. What’s better than being wrapped in a cuddly, fleece blanket while watching some Netflix on a cold fall night? Nothing. Unless you add a mulled wine and a book. Heaven!

I could go on because there are lots of awesome things about the darker, colder days. And yes, I deliberately ignored the rain. If I pretend it doesn’t exist, it doesn’t. Right?

Happy fall!