October is often considered one of the best months of the year for a multitude of reasons; comforting food, vibrant colours, cosy movie nights, Halloween and more... There are so many things we love to do during this time and it makes us all fuzzy inside just thinking about them! Often though during the Autumn (depending on where you live), the weather is cold, wet and rainy, which although adds to the cosiness, is not ideal for being outside. Thankfully there's so much to do at home during October and here are some of our favourite things...

1. Pumpkin Carving

Starting of with a classic that everyone knows and loves, pumpkin carving is a fun and simple activity that screams October! Perfect to do with kids or just yourself, you can carve pumpkins in an endless variety of cute or spooky ways. You can also decorate your home with pumpkins. It's surprising how much of a difference they can make if you're tyring to create a cosier space. Place them on the fireplace mantel, on the dinner table, or near the TV, plus they look great in the background of any Autumnal photo.

2. Pumpkin Painting

A popular alternative to pumpkin carving, painting pumpkins is just as enjoyable and allows for even more creativity when making your designs. One year we made Nightmare Before Christmas pumpkins and they came out pretty good. We left them on display throughout the entirety of October by the fireplace. Paint a Halloween villain, scary scene, something Autumnal, or on an already carved pumpkin to add extra details, the choice is yours.

3. Movie night

We think everyone can agree on this one, but nothing beats a good movie night. For the absolute best movie night possible, choose a day when it's dark and rainy outside, pick your favourite autumnal / scary film, snuggle up under a warm blanket, light some scented candles and eat some cookies or pie! Some film options that aren't scary but still perfect for October are Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Harry Potter. For some scarier choices, try The Conjuring, The Blair Witch Project and Scream.

4. Autumnal Baking

Baking is definitely one of our favourite things to do during October, simply due to the amount of fun and delicious things you can make. Comforting pumpkin pies and cookies, or spookier Halloween tarts and cakes. We sometimes like to whip up large batches of cookies or make multiple cakes in one day to snack on throughout the week. You can also make up some cookie dough, then freeze it to use whenever you need to. The possibilities of baking during Autumn are endless, so get creative!

5. Make your interior cosier

When Autunm rolls in, we seem to find ourselves rearranging furniture, decorating the house with cosy ornaments and lighting candles or the fireplace. Creating a snug environment throughout the entirety of your home can really help you not only get in the October mood, but also help you de-stress and relax. Like we already mentioned above, try placing some pumpkins here and there, maybe even some fantastical books, or just anything that puts you in a cosy and happy mindset.

6. Games Night

We love a good games night. Whether you prefer board games or something more active, there's always something for everyone. Before inviting over friends or family, we like to prepare a charcuterie board, get some wine or chai lattes ready, light some candles, start playing some relaxing background music and then we're set to go. If you want to play board games, some classic reliable options are Snakes and Ladders, Scrabble, Monopoly and for something more mature, Crimes Against Humanity. You can also play something physical such as charades or truth or dare.

7. S'mores Station

Who could say no to a s'more? S'mores stations are perfect to set up during Halloween parties, or to have outside in the garden. You can do whatever you like, but this is how we do it. We start by setting up a campfire in the garden (you can always use a portable camping stove), then we hang up some LED string lights. Then on an outdoor table, we lay out our chocolate topped digestive biscuits and marshmallows and that's it! Once we've made the s'mores, we sit in our garden chairs, wrap up in some blankets, then tell each other ghost stories and stargaze.

8. Homemade Decoration For Your Home

Making your own autumnal decor is a great way to get you and your house in the October mood. Make some orange-leafed garlands for your banister or fireplace, or a wreath for your front door. Create Harry Potter inspired candles that hang from your ceiling, or even scoop out the inside of a pumpkin, cut it in half and then use it as a hanging basket for plants, or anything. Another option is to cut the top of the pumpkin, remove the insides, then drill loads of holes on the sides, place a lit candle inside, put the top back on and done! You have a pumpkin lamp.

9. DIY Coffee Shop Station

A fun activity to get everyone involved, a coffee shop station is a perfect brunch treat. Although you can do it in a variety of different ways, this is what we like; Early in the morning or the night before, we prepare all of our goodies. Whether that's making banana bread batter or cookie dough, cake mixture or pastry, we get it all done and ready. Then the next morning, we put our prepared goods into the oven to bake. Once they're removed from the oven to cool, set out all the ingredients for your choices of drink. We usually have chai lattes, teas, coffee, matcha, frappes or hot chocolates. Put out the fun extras such as, squirty cream, mini marshmallows, caramel sauce, and pumpkin spice. Then everyone can make themselves drinks of their choice and afterwards help themselves to some baked goods. That's what we like to do, but you could take it a step further and make menus and take people's orders if you wanted.

10. Throw a Halloween Party

Halloween parties are maybe the best thing about October and there's so many different things you can do! Whether you have an 80's themed party, masquerade party, or just a classic, they're all great regardless. We usually just listen to Halloween songs, play games and eat lots and lots of sweets (usually gummy sweets like worms, eyes and tarantulas), or cakes and tarts such as our vampire traybake and chocolate boo tart. We also like to set a costume theme to dress up to, such as vampires, aliens or something else. Whatever you do, we're sure it'll be fun and spooky either way.

There are a ton of things to do at home during October and these are for sure our favourites. Hopefully you enjoy these activities if you decide to give them a go and we hope they all go great!