Family & lifestyle
Our Fall Favorites: Seasonal Treats, Books & Family Traditions
Our family’s fall favorites include ghost-themed s’mores, neutral autumn baking ideas and a Thanksgiving book basket for kids.
Fall is my Super Bowl. The second the air turns crisp, our house shifts into full cozy mode — baking projects, holiday bookshelves, the whole thing. These are the seasonal finds behind my most-saved autumn posts: the treats, the toddler-friendly bakes, and the little traditions that make the holidays feel magical without making them stressful.
Ghostie S'mores: The Easiest Crowd-Pleaser of Spooky Season
Our Instagram version layers graham cracker crust, chocolate, and marshmallow ghosts, then goes into the oven until the top is toasty. Here’s what we used:
- Graham cracker crust as the base
- HERSHEY'S chocolate bars layered on top
- Ghost-shaped marshmallows — the whole point, obviously
Maximum cuteness for a Halloween party. Watch the original reel below for our version; this is an ingredient roundup, not a complete recipe with measured quantities and baking times.
Ombré Autumn Baking with Toddlers (No Jump-Scares)
We're an ombré house, not an orange-and-black house. Soft colors, cozy textures, zero jump-scares — Halloween the toddler-approved way. The kids do the decorating themselves: swipe, swirl, done.
- Ghost & pumpkin cookie cutters
- Nude/neutral food coloring — ask me for the link, it's the one I always recommend
- A small blue spreading spatula — the right size for little hands
Mess-friendly, Montessori-ish, and genuinely calm. Baking as a memory-making ritual, not a Pinterest performance.
The Thanksgiving Kids-Table Book Basket
If you host kids on Thanksgiving, you need these. I keep a woven basket of books at the kids' table and it buys the adults an entire peaceful dinner. Our six go-tos:
- You're My Little Cutie Pie
- Corduroy Gives Thanks
- Franklin's Thanksgiving
- How to Catch a Turkey
- Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter
- You're My Little Pumpkin Pie
Style the basket with a few mini pumpkins and candles (out of reach!) and the kids' table becomes the cutest spot in the house.
Happy Fall, Friends
That's our autumn starter pack — sweet, simple, and low-stress, the way the holidays should be. As the season goes on I'll keep sharing what we're making, reading, and loving.
Want a link to anything here? Find the reel on @santucci.family and comment — I send them out myself. 🍂
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