In the Northern Hemisphere, the Autumnal Equinox 2020 is September 22.

An equinox is when the sun is exactly above the equator, which makes day and night equal the same number of hours. This day also marks the official beginning of autumn, my favorite season.

After the fall equinox, our nights become longer than our days, leading us into winter.

It’s the perfect time of year to count our blessings. Despite 2020 being a difficult year for everyone, there is always something positive to be thankful for during the year.

I posted this question in one of my Facebook groups today:

β€œWhat’s one positive thing that happened to you this year?”

I love seeing the enthusiastic responses. People spoke of business picking up despite the pandemic. Some spoke of rediscovering the joy in their work. One person had a new baby in the family. I posted about my cookbook. Another person got a positive response from a book publisher.

Good things are happening all the time. Sometimes, we need to be reminded.

Here is how I celebrated the autumnal equinox.

I listened to this cozy music playlist with my morning coffee:

I arranged a bouquet of pretty flowers in autumnal colors (shown above).

For a few hours, I had the rare opportunity to have the house to myself. I used this time to make a big pot of soup that we can all enjoy for dinner. I followed a recipe in The Book of Kitchen Witchery. It’s a pretty recipe book that follows the wheel of the year. The ingredients include leeks, garlic, potatoes, butternut squash, carrot, and fresh herbs. The soup is designed as a celebration of the harvest. I served it with savory buttermilk scones — recipe from the same book.

autumn equinox

We enjoyed the evening with a comforting bowl of vegetable soup, some savory scones, and a little red wine.

Do you like to celebrate the seasonal changes? How did you spend 2020’s autumnal equinox?