The other day, I was doing a Peloton ride with my friend Amanda, and the instructor – Robin, for those of y’all who are fellow Peloton-ers – said “The only thing gettting lit in my house after 9:00pm is a pumpkin spice candle!” As my friend Katie is fond of quoting, “You don’t find candles lit in frenetic houses.” Well, my house is definitely frenetic, and there is not much candle-lighting going on by the time I finally crash on the couch, later and later every evening. But I’m still finding little joys… the cozy season is definitely upon us, y’all. And it struck me that it’s been a minute since I shared the little luxuries that are making every day a little nicer and happier.

First, there’s that Peloton – not sure if it qualifies as a “little” luxury, considering it weighs as much as a baby elephant. But the ability it gives me to squeeze in movement even during the busiest workweek is definitely a luxury. I got it back in the spring, and as you can see based on this entry in Nugget’s “my mother’s favorite things” book which I received for Mother’s Day, I’ve been loving it since the moment it arrived in my house.

I’m not the only one who is enjoying it, unfortunately. The kids have adopted it and think it’s their new ride (wrong, kids, the Peloton is Mommy’s toy).

Related – in a busy week, the opportunity to get out, feel trail dirt under my boots, and breathe in fresh air definitely feels like a luxury. I get in neighborhood walks and runs as often as I can, but between a busy job and weekends that are getting more and more packed with kiddo sports, trail time is definitely a luxury, and one I’m trying to protect by making sure we carve out time for family hikes at least once a week. Views like this are a lovely bonus.

Another luxury, and one I enjoy anytime throughout the year – date nights with Steve. A couple of weeks ago we went out to a delicious Italian dinner in a historic mansion in our small town, then drove into D.C. to see Hamilton at the Kennedy Center. Third time we’ve seen it live, and it never gets old.

Those are some big luxuries, actually. A smaller one – delicious applies, which we picked at the beginning of the month and which we’ve been eating out of hand ever since. I was planning to reserve some of these for a pie, but we’re actually almost done with this half bushel – insane! They were just so good this year – crisp and sweet. I’ve been putting them into the kids’ lunches and snacks every day, and reserving a few for myself too.

And with the falling mercury has also come cravings for tea again. Recently, I dug out my electric kettle – a Christmas gift from my parents, years ago – and plugged it in. Only regret was: why didn’t I get this back out long ago? I used to keep it in my office and it has been sitting next to my home office desk since I cleaned out my desk after leaving my law firm in 2021. Now it’s out and being pressed into service multiple times a day; Steve has gotten into drinking tea recently too and has his own stash, while I’ve been drinking my way through a big basket of loose leaf tea that, to be honest, isn’t getting any younger. It’s been a good time to rediscover one of my favorite little luxuries, as I’ve been trying to cut back on the amount of coffee I was drinking; now I’m down to one cup of coffee in the morning – generally while I dash around making breakfasts, school lunches and snacks – and then I switch to black tea if I want more of a perk, and green or tisanes in the afternoon. It was surprisingly easy to cut down to just the morning coffee when I made the connection that it’s the hot beverage that appeals to me, and it doesn’t have to be caffeinated; hands curl around a teaming mug of herbal tea just as happily.

Lastly, this is another year-round luxury, but there’s nothing like a beautiful book – like a gorgeous Folio Society edition of Elizabeth Gaskell – and a cozy blanket. This soft woven throw from Tribe & True is my favorite for cuddling up with all year, but especially in the fall and winter.

What little luxuries are you enjoying this fall?