By Heather Melton, UTO Staff Officer

Since my kiddos were big enough, we’ve gone apple picking every September. Apple picking is one of my favorite reminders that fall has arrived here in the United States. I love the phenomenon that is apple picking: It’s clear everyone there has picked out a fall-themed outfit and/or coordinating outfits among family members; some are very serious about picking apples; others are enjoying a fall walk among the trees; and everyone is happily eating apple cider doughnuts and drinking cider. 

What I love about apple picking is that it is a tradition my kids look forward to each year; it is a tradition wrapped in joy. As soon as school starts, they ask when it will be time to go pick apples, even though it can be weeks away. We always pick more than we can eat (and we pick some that probably shouldn’t have left the tree just yet), so we turn a lot of the apples into applesauce and apple butter. For me, the official start of fall is when our house is filled with the smell of apple butter cooking low and slow in the kitchen and the kids are changing out our knickknacks to fall-themed ones. This is our family fall tradition, and it is one that I am grateful for and grateful that my family loves as well.

For many of us, fall is filled with traditions. From tailgating at a football game, to watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin” before Halloween, to Thanksgiving celebrations, there are so many traditions happening in the fall. For churches, the traditions range from blessing of the backpacks, to annual stewardship campaigns, and kickoff of the program year. Regardless of the setting, the theme for fall might just be traditions and being present. Our apple picking tradition started because I was living in New York and curious about all the people I knew who loved picking apples, which is a great way for traditions to begin. While we charted our own course, we were inspired by the actions of others and the joy they shared. I think this is probably a common way for traditions to begin. We get excited about it and share it with someone else. 

This fall, UTO is inviting all of us to experience the traditions folks have around gratitude through the experiences and excitement of the 2024 UTO grant sites. Each day in October, you can get a text message with an image and a quote from one of our grant sites (or follow us on social media). Each week we’ll also have a reflection on our website. It’s our hope that hearing about the traditions of others, from handwriting a thank-you note to gratitude gatherings, will inspire you to start a new tradition of your own. We’ve also got a super fun craft for kids, where they can make origami gratitude pumpkins that become decorations and could also be a fun tradition to add to year after year. 

Regardless of your fall traditions, we hope you’ll share what you’re grateful for about them with us either by email or on social media. Grateful for your first pumpkin muffin of the season? Share a photo! Found an amazing fall leaf? Let us all know! Had a great blessing of the backpacks? Tag us so we can give thanks, too! There is so much to be grateful for this fall, from old to new traditions, so let’s gather together and give thanks for them and be inspired by all the good things happening through the traditions of fall.