September has to mean autumnal apples, doesn’t it?

I picked up these apples from the supermarket last night, but I’m passing by a farmer’s market later this month and I’ll be sure to pick a couple of bramley apples up and a punnet of blackberries to make some crumble. I’m good at crumble and all pastry that requires cold fingers and a delicacy of touch.

My Mum remembers when apples weren’t a year-round purchase or, at least, when the apples you could get at the height of summer were mealy and a bit tasteless. When seasonal eating wasn’t a lifestyle choice so much as a necessity because world-wide transport, heated greenhouses and strawberries at Christmas were a pipe dream. I wonder if we haven’t lost more than we’ve gained, when we don’t have an apple-free gap or a need to freeze fruit if we want them at Christmas.

And me? I love the role that apples have played in legends, myths and stories throughout history. From the symbolism of the Garden of Eden to the Isles of Apples in Arthurian legend, apples (and the many fruits lumped under the name ‘apple’ throughout time) have been symbols of long life, knowledge, experience and fortune.

Later on in September my Jewish friends will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish New Year, and eat apples dipped in honey as a symbol of the sweet New Year they hope for. You can read up on Rosh Hashanah here and here. And since 2018 the Church of England has designated the time between 1st September and 4th October as Creationtide, a time to rejoice in the natural world and God’s gifts to us.

I wish we’d had Creationtide when I was younger: modern life has pushed us so far away from the natural world that pausing to see the leaves turn, seeking the mists of early September mornings and finding a small patch of blackberries now seems an extraordinary thing to my (very) suburban children. So many minor feasts, festivals and causes for celebration have been lost, it’s a pity. The advice to not pick blackberries after September 29th because that is Michaelmas and that’s the date the Devil spits on your blackberries in spite, for example. Watching out for signs of autumn can’t compare to the latest online game or show, and yet those very signs would have been the trigger for our ancestors to gather nuts in, wash and launder winter linens ready to use or to put up any and all harvests left over.

This isn’t a call to return to the Old Ways, so much as a yearning to remember them and integrate some of them into our more modern ways. As well as my bramley apples this weekend, I’ll look out for an orange bouquet of chrysanthemums or michaelmas daisies, a bottle of decent cider and perhaps a jar of posh honey to dip my apple into and pray for a fruitful, blessed and happy new year for all my family and friends.

How about you? What would you wish for this year? And what old, forgotten customs would you like to redeem?

How to Hygge the British Way is my gift to the world. I don’t get paid for writing it, I’m not in it for the kudos, financial rewards, to become an influencer, work with brands or otherwise make any money from the blog. That’s why there are no ads, and any products I mention and recommend have either been gifted to me or bought by me with my everyday wages or donations from supporters. Every book I review has been bought and read by me, unless stated otherwise.

I do get a couple of pennies each time someone buys from the Amazon links on my page, as an Amazon Affiliate, but otherwise if you’d like to support me, I like to give something back in return. That’s why I write books. It always feels good if you get a book back in return for some money. You can find a full list of my books at my Author’s Page on Amazon, but especially recommended for this time of year are:

Cosy Happy Hygge: Setting up a rhythm to life and rituals to enjoy it to make for a more balanced life that handles waves and storms better. Lent is a season of rituals and resets. The book has small and easy ways to make your life flow with grace and happiness, which lead to more hygge.

Happier: Probably my most personal book, it’s the story of how I used hygge and the little things in life to help boost my happiness. I still go back and reread to remind myself what I need to do to be a happy human. And it’s always the little things.

Is it too early to think ahead? My Christmas books are always available: Have Yourself a Happy Hygge Christmas is a good place to start, on how to make the season cosier, happier. Celebrating a Contagious Christmas was written during covid year, but has useful advice on celebrating when times are hard anyway and Enjoying a Self-Care Christmas is a short e-book on keeping Christmas simpler, easier and better for you, your waistline and your budget. It even includes 25+ suggestions for self-care activities over Christmas, as simple as sipping tea, keeping a list journal or lighting a candle. Bigger is not always better for Christmas.

I’m currently working on two book projects: I have a hankering to rewrite 50 Ways to Hygge the British Way, so it’s not available at the moment, but even dearer to my heart and my next stated aim is to finish and publish my next book, Simple Plus Cosy = Hygge. It will be about homemaking and how the home we create shapes the hygge we have. Hopefully it will be finished by the end of summer/autumn/winter.

If you’d like to support me, but don’t want to buy a book, I have a Paypal.Me account as Hygge Jem. Every little helps, so even a few pence goes towards the books, goods and courses I use and recommend on the site. I’m grateful for every little bit that brings me closer to my dream of full-time writing, and I know I couldn’t still be writing if it weren’t for the support of many readers and friends out there. Thank you all for every little bit of support, emotional, physical and financial, you give me.

If you’ve enjoyed this article, don’t forget to share it or save it so others can enjoy reading, thinking about and living hygge as well.

The photo between post and promotions is by Arno Smit on Unsplash. I wish I had a garden shed like this one! I chose it because I love the colours of the windowframes, the tantalisingly inviting open door and the comfy chair within. Perfect spot for a cup of tea and a good book. And the header today is the bowl of Braeburn apples next to my woodwick candle. Sweetness and Light, just what I’ve always been.