One of the best parts of life is how it changes with the seasons. The air shifts, the light looks different, our cravings and rhythms evolve. I’ve found that adding a few small weekly rituals helps me really enjoy each season instead of letting it slip by in a blur. These aren’t big traditions—they’re little touches that make each week feel grounded in the moment.

1. Seasonal Flowers or Greens

Once a week, I bring a touch of the season inside. Whether it’s sunflowers in late summer, pumpkins in autumn, or even a few evergreen branches in winter. Nature’s little reminders make the whole house feel aligned with the world outside.

My tip: I don’t always buy flowers, sometimes I snip a sprig or two from the yard (or even grab a branch from a walk) and pop it into a vase.

2. A Seasonal Tea

At 71 years old, I’ve discovered tea. And I don’t mean in a casual, “oh sure, I’ll have a cup” kind of way, I mean I’ve really discovered it. I was a coffee drinker for as long as I can remember (it was my business, after all). Coffee was about momentum, productivity, and getting things done. Tea, though? Tea is different. Tea asks you to slow down. Tea permits you to pause.

Tea can be grounding. It can be calming or gently energizing without the jitters. It warms you from the inside out, which matters more than you realize once you hit a certain age and suddenly your hands are always cold. Tea can be healing—not in a grand, mystical way, but in a quiet, everyday sense. It soothes digestion, eases stress, hydrates your body, and creates a ritual that signals to your brain: it’s okay to rest now.

Tea can also be seasonal in the most delightful way. In the fall, it’s all about spices and warmth with cinnamon, clove, orange peel, the kind of flavors that make your house smell like a holiday before one even arrives. In the summer, tea becomes lighter and brighter, maybe iced, maybe infused with fresh berries or citrus slices floating in a glass. In winter, tea is a comfort. It’s cozy throws on the couch, early sunsets, candles lit for no particular reason, and a mug warming your palms while the world outside feels just a little bit quieter.

Tea makes everyday life feel like a celebration, even when nothing special is happening. Especially when nothing special is happening.

My tip: I keep a basket of small seasonal items—pretty napkins, special cups, a cozy throw, and a collection of antique teacups that I’ve gathered over the years. Some were gifts, some were finds, and all of them have stories.

What I Use: I love switching my teas with the seasons, and right now I’m completely smitten with Harney & Sons Williamsburg Holiday Heritage Tea. It’s rich, warming, and beautifully balanced and spiced without being overpowering, comforting without being heavy. There’s something about this blend that feels tailor-made for winter evenings and candlelit nights. It’s become my Hanukkah go-to, the tea I reach for when the menorah is glowing, and the house feels especially peaceful. I can easily see myself enjoying it all winter long, long after the decorations are put away—because some rituals are too good to pack up with the season.

3. A Seasonal Meal

Every week, I cook or eat one meal that celebrates the season. A tomato salad in August, roasted squash in November, citrus in January, it doesn’t need to be elaborate. Just one plate that makes me feel in tune with what’s fresh and now.

My tip: I always serve it on my prettiest dishware. Making it look beautiful is half the joy.

What I use: In winter, I love cooking soups and stews in a Cocotte or my Staub Dutch Oven on the stovetop. Not only do we end up with a great hearty meal, but the house smells so good all day long as it’s cooking.

4. A Seasonal Scent

Scent is memory, and each season has its own. Once a week, I light a candle, simmer a pot of spices, or spritz a fragrance that feels right for the time of year. Cinnamon in fall, fresh linen in spring, salt air in summer. For me, it’s an instant mood-shifter.

My tip: I put a drop of essential oil on a cotton ball and tuck it into a drawer. Every time I open it, I get a little burst of seasonal joy.

5. A Seasonal Walk

Even if it’s just twenty minutes, I try to take one walk a week with the intention of noticing the season. I look at the leaves, feel the air, listen to the sounds. It’s grounding to realize how much the world changes every few weeks.

My tip: Ask a friend or neighbor to join you. Walking is a great time to connect and make friendships deeper as you can enjoy conversations, appreciate what you see along the way, and bond in addition to getting great exercise and clearing your mind.

What I do: I take a photo of something seasonal on each walk. Over time, I end up with a little album of the year’s shifts, it’s lovely to look back on.

Wrapping It Up

Seasons change whether we notice them or not. But by adding a few things like flowers, food, scents, walks, and touches for the home, you slow down enough to savor them.

Because the real beauty of living well isn’t rushing through the year…it’s pausing once a week to truly enjoy where you are in it.