I love fall. More specifically, I love fall at home in Nebraska. I have realized that more since I have been in college when I can’t participate in the usual fall activities with my family.
If you were to walk into the McClellan house on a fall day, here is what you would experience: My mom has the gift of turning our old house into a cozy home. The house would smell like cinnamon and cloves with a hint of fall air that is drifting through the cracked window. Fall decorations would be sprinkled throughout the house.
You would find my dad sitting in the old leather chair in our living room, deeply engrossed in a book. His glasses would rest on the tip of his nose as he marked lines in the book that intrigued him. Occasionally, he would read a line to me that particularly struck him- his wise and steady presence is comforting to anyone who walks in.
My brother’s laugh could be heard from outside as he spent time with friends. His bubbly personality would fill the house with goofy jokes and sarcastic comments. My mom would be floating around the house with her mental checklist of things to do- she is a mix of Marie Kondo and Marmee from Little Women.
Our house is clean and organized, but lovingly lived in. She creates a space for her family to grow, process, heal and forgive. Her spunky spirit fills the house with unwavering peace. Our faithful dog, Lucy, would be following her everywhere she went, determined to protect my mom from the scary squirrels that lurk outside the window. Without each of these people, the house would not feel the same, something would be lacking.
As the day comes to a close and dinner is finished, we would all eagerly move to the living room. My brother would put in the DVD, and we would wait for the familiar music and faces. The Harry Potter movies are essential to our fall.
A couple years ago, I was reading through the Harry Potter books, and after I finished one book, we would watch the movie. The more invested my mom became, the more she wanted me to read faster, so this tradition has stuck from that point on. Pumpkin bread or my mom’s chocolate chip cookies would be our snack of choice while watching Harry, Hermione and Ron.
We would debate which movie was the best out of the series or who our favorite character is. We all bonded over our mutual hatred of Professor Umbridge and yearned to go to a school that looked like Hogwarts. When we had watched all the movies, we were left in a depression. I would usually cry over all the deaths in the last couple movies. It’s a series that my family and I keep coming back to fall after fall.