Growing up in Brazil, the changing of the seasons was never a huge part of my life.

Of course, we have seasons in Brazil, but where I’m from, in Rio de Janeiro, they aren’t nearly as distinct as they are where I live now in the US. We don’t have harsh winters or snow. And we definitely don’t experience that dramatic moment when the leaves change color and eventually disappear from the trees altogether.

And I still love that. Summer is my favorite season, and Rio can sometimes feel like summer all year long. Give me sunshine, warm weather and a day at the beach and I’m very happy ☀️

But after living in the US, I’ve also learned to appreciate something I didn’t really experience growing up: the passage of time through the seasons.

There’s something beautiful about watching the world around you change every few months. And now that I’m raising a child here, I notice it even more. The activities we do change. The food changes. What we wear changes. Even the little traditions we look forward to as a family change.

And fall might be the season that does this best! 🍂

Here are five things I’ve come to love about fall while living and raising a child in the US.

1. Apple Picking, Pumpkin Patches and Fall Farms

Going to a farm in the fall is one of those activities that feels quintessentially American to me.

Before living here, going to a farm specifically to pick apples or visit a pumpkin patch was definitely not something I associated with fall (I didn’t even know these places existed). Now I totally understand the appeal, especially with kids.

We recently took our son to a farm where we could pick apples, but there was so much more to do. He could feed goats, play on the cool farm playground (tractor!!), and just run around outside. We spent hours there, and it was one of those very simple family days that ended up being so much fun.

I also love everything else that comes with these farms. Pumpkin patches, hayrides, farm animals and all the seasonal food make the whole experience feel like a celebration of fall rather than just one activity.

It’s also such a good experience with young children because there doesn’t necessarily need to be an agenda. They can explore, run around and just experience the season.

Of course, you leave with an absurd amount of apples, which gives you an excuse to make all the apple things afterward. Apple pie, apple cake, baked apples, apples as salad toppings… I’m here for all of it! 🍎

As someone raising a child in a country different from the one where I grew up, I think there’s something particularly special about participating in these traditions with him. They’re becoming part of his childhood even though they weren’t part of mine.

2. Halloween

Halloween in the US is just so much fun!

I’ve celebrated Halloween in other countries, and there are Halloween parties in Brazil too. But at least where I grew up, Halloween isn’t anything like it is here.

There isn’t really a culture of children going out to trick-or-treat. A lot of what I knew about Halloween growing up actually came from American movies and TV shows. So there’s something really fun about getting to experience the version of Halloween I used to see on TV 👻

I also love that Halloween changes as your children grow.

When they’re tiny, it’s mostly about choosing an adorable costume and taking pictures. Then they start understanding trick-or-treating. Later come school celebrations, choosing their own costumes, decorating pumpkins and all the little traditions they’ll eventually have their own opinions about.

And Halloween is fun even without kids! I’ve celebrated it here as an adult before becoming a mom (the parties were such a blast!), and now I get to experience a completely different side of it with my family.

It’s one of those traditions I really want to enjoy every year we’re here. I’m so excited for this year’s Halloween because we got a Bluey costume for my son! Looking forward to dressing him up!

3. Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is another American tradition I’ve really come to appreciate.

I know that the history surrounding Thanksgiving is complicated and that the traditional story many people grew up hearing doesn’t capture the full history of the holiday. But there is one part of the modern tradition that I find genuinely beautiful: intentionally making time to think about what you’re thankful for.

Life moves so quickly, especially once you have children. I love the idea of having a day when families and friends sit around a table, eat together and actually pause to appreciate the good things in their lives.

Naturally I have to mention the food: it’s just so good!

The turkey with cranberry sauce might be one of my favorite combinations. Then there are all the pumpkin desserts, apple desserts, pies, and cozy fall flavors that come with it.

As my children grow, I’d love to make the gratitude part of Thanksgiving something we practice as a family too. Not in an overly formal way, but simply as an opportunity to stop and recognize how much we have to be grateful for 🧡

4. Light Jacket Weather

I’m a summer person. I will probably always choose summer over winter, but there comes a point when you’re tired of sweating.

And then suddenly you walk outside one morning and it’s just cool enough for a light jacket. It feels amazing!

There’s also something about fall clothes that makes everyone look more put together. You can add a jacket, a sweater, boots or a few layers and suddenly an otherwise simple outfit looks so elevated.

You have to enjoy that brief, wonderful period when you can actually dress for the weather without needing a giant winter coat over everything. Fall fashion is easily one of my favorite parts of the season!

5. The Colors

Last but not least, this is probably the thing I love the most about fall: it’s just beautiful!

The changing leaves still impress me every year because I didn’t grow up seeing anything like it. There is something incredible about watching entire streets and parks turn yellow, orange and red. And it’s not only the trees.

I notice the sky more during the fall too. Some evenings have the most beautiful pink and orange light, and everything seems to have this warm glow for a few minutes before the sun disappears.

I wonder if part of my appreciation comes from the fact that it still feels relatively new to me. When you grow up somewhere, it’s easy to stop noticing the things that make it special. Living somewhere different has made me pay attention to little seasonal changes I might otherwise take for granted.

With children, that becomes even more meaningful, since I get to experience traditions that weren’t part of my own childhood while watching them become part of theirs.

I’ll probably always be a summer person at heart, but I’ve learned to love what fall represents too: change, traditions, family time and the very visible reminder that another season of life is beginning 🤎