8 great things to do indoors this Autumn

As the season turns, and the evenings get darker, it’s the perfect time to have quality time indoors with friends and family. Here are some ideas to make the most of the Autumn season

Movie Night

There can probably be nothing more cosy than snuggling down with family and friends and having a good ol’ movie night.

Pick your movies in advance (why not go with a double bill?)and arrange the furniture so that you’ve all got the best view. Prepare some snacks and hot food in advance and make sure that you’re stocked up on drink too. If you want to do it properly, you’re going to have to have a good supply of popcorn at the ready. Don’t forget the buckets!

If you’re wanting to be extra cosy, throw in a load of cushions and blankets for you and your guests to hunker down under.

Local community cinema Monico Movies offer great recommendations here.

Bake

The kitchen is often a hub of activity during the autumn months as we all turn in from the cold and prepare ourselves some nice warming meals.

Baking is another way of spending quality time with friends and family. If you’re spending time with young children, it’s always worth involving them and helping them forge their childhood memories.

You don’t need to be an expert either. Grab some simple recipes – cookies or chocolate brownies – you can often find everything you need in one handy packet at the supermarket.

Creating something together helps create a sense of achievement and strengthens bonds between family or friends.

Plan a Party

Autumn, of course, is a time of Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night parties.

A successful party always has a good amount of planning put into it and if you are thinking of holding one, remember to invite people early so that they can put the date in their diaries. Friends and family often plan their calendars months in advance and you don’t want to be left without any guests.

You may want to think about what types of food and games your party will have and you may also want to think about what kind of decor you’ll want to have in your home too. Either way, getting it all ready at least a week in advance will mean that you can spend quality time with loved ones instead of stressing.

Murder Mystery Evening

A Murder Mystery Evening can be a huge amount of fun, bringing everyone together and creating new memories with old friends.

Prior to the party, you can purchase a murder mystery party kit. The kit includes a story about a murder, which usually occurs either during the course of the dinner or before the party begins. Guests are cast as characters and should arrive in fancy dress as their nominated character. Together or separately, all participants (apart from the murderer) work to solve the mystery.

Wine Tasting Evening

Book yourself a night in with some wine and friends. If you’re looking to do things properly, introduce a theme to your wine tasting evenings – maybe base it on geographical regions or by country. Also ensure that all of your wines are ready to serve at their appropriate temperatures.

Prepare fresh crusty bread and maybe some cheese to soak up the alcohol too.

Games Night

Board games aren’t just for kids although you can include them if you wish. Always have a selection of games on hand to suit your audience. When the kids go to bed, you can bring out the more challenging and grown-up games.

Invite close friends to make sure that the evening is an intimate affair – large groups are often hard to control whereas meaningful conversation can be had in smaller groups.

Prepare some finger food in advance so that you don’t have to keep people waiting while you’re in the kitchen. You may also want to think about where you play the game. A dining table can be useful if you are serving food whereas playing around a coffee table can bring a more relaxed vibe to your evening. Background music is optional but don’t make it too loud or distracting.

Keep a good stash of drink so that you don’t have to disappear during the evening and your guests may also appreciate a nice dessert as a victory prize – providing they win of course. Personalising their playing pieces, if possible, is also a nice touch.

Crafting

Autumn provides us with rich pickings to craft with, especially with children.

Your local park can supply you with leaves for leaf printing, conkers for marbling, and other bits and bobs to create collages.

Use nature’s gifts to create an autumn wreath or why not create a garland that you can hang up in your home?

You can also help craft clothing and blankets for the colder months ahead. Knitting has always been a popular pastime and creating a scarf, hat or jumper for winter will keep you busy for hours.

Kids will love creating their own scarecrow too and you can always pop this in your garden to remind you of your autumn memories.

Plan for Christmas

It’s not too far away and now is a good time to start planning.

Getting the Christmas card list done is always a good place to start before you can think about Christmas gifts. Get your calendar out too and start planning any activities that you want to do. Involving friends and family in your plans will ramp up the excitement levels.

Mince pies are probably on sale in some shops now so stock up, put the kettle on and plan for festive times ahead.

If you prefer outdoors at this time of year, read 10 Easy Things To Do Outdoors In Autumn here