WHILE SOME MAGAZINES ARE UNVEILING THEIR CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDES AND WAXING LYRICAL ABOUT ADVENT CALENDARS ALREADY, HERE AT HIS & HERS, WE’RE REALLY NOT DONE WITH AUTUMN YET!
Colder days, darker evenings and that pre-party season lull have already led us to some very serious googling of fairy lights (because it’s never too early in the season to add a little sparkle to your home) and, even more excitingly, these party tents for sale. Yes, you read that right. Party tents. It turns out they’re surprisingly affordable to buy.
This is good to know because as some of you will remember from our last reader evening, the His & Hers team has learnt the hard way that if you host an event during which you’re serving up summer cocktails and promoting sunglasses outdoors, it will rain (heavily). We’re not ready to give up on al-fresco entertaining, of course. We’ll just be doing it under cover this autumn.
If you’re looking for some seasonal inspiration of your own, here are five reasons to celebrate this autumn, which you’ll find in the His & Hers diary…
Halloween
Yes, call us predictable, but we’re still not too grown-up for Halloween celebrations, and frankly we’re not sure we ever will be. On Tuesday 31st, you’ll find a host of scary Halloween events lined up throughout the North West. You could go high-brow and book an evening of tricks and treats at an English Heritage site. Or you could invite some of your favourite people around for a good old-fashioned Halloween party. Yeah, they’ve been done to death, but admit it, they’re always fun!
Bonfire Night
Forget the friendly rivalry. On 5th November, for one night only, Liverpool and Wirral will be joining forces (and presumably splitting the world’s biggest box of fireworks!) for The River of Light, one of the biggest free firework displays in the UK. Prepare to watch the Mersey light up during the display. Also, as it’s free, you’ll be able to treat yourself to a pack of sparklers and a glass or two of something sparkling to celebrate with zero remorse!
Chester’s Christmas Light Switch On
Admittedly, we’re getting a little festive with this one. But if you’re feeling particularly organised and fancy starting your Christmas shopping early, we’d recommend Chester’s Christmas light switch on parade, which starts from 7pm on 16th November at Chester Town Hall.
Maybe it’s all the period architecture and the cobbled streets, maybe it’s all the old-fashioned independent stores. Whatever the reason, Chester just does Christmas ludicrously well. And if you happen to do a little shopping for yourself during your time in the city, well His & Hers will not judge you!
Hosting parties for no reason!
Soon we’ll be in November, and you’ll need at least a month’s notice if you want to organise a decent night out with your friends or loved ones. Yeah, we know ‘party season’ sounds like something dreamt up by magazines like ours, but we’re pretty sure it’s a real thing (well, not as real as the actual seasons, but still valid!) Anyway, the good news is it hasn’t started yet. So if you start making plans for autumn, you have a really good chance of getting most of your favourite people in the same room (or party tent!) all at once.
Staying in with no explanation needed!
Let’s face it, even in the height of summer, there are those days (or even weeks) when the working week leaves you craving nothing more strenuous than some serious sofa time with some classic films for company.
In the summer, if you’re cancelling al-fresco drinks and watching the sun set with your friends in favour of a quiet night in, this will call for a lot of grovelling. However, in autumn, people will start using the word “cosy” a lot and will accept your desire to indulge in some lazy nights in unquestioningly almost as if it’s a medicinal thing. Cosy autumn evenings, here we come!
Image Credit: Wing W Wong via ‘River of Light’.
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