Welcome, cozy friends!

If you’d prefer to listen to my answers, you can check out the full episode on The Bookmarks ‘n Blankets Podcast on your favorite podcast platform or listen below.

Let me know what you enjoy doing to celebrate this gorgeous, cozy time of year on Instagram or X (aka Twitter). I’d love to hear from you!

If you wish to listen to my autumnal episodes from last year, check out episode 36 and episode 41.

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As the crisp autumn breeze rolls in and the leaves turn vibrant shades of red, orange, and gold, fall has officially arrived! There’s something magical about this season—the cozy sweaters, pumpkin-flavored treats, and the warm glow of seasonal holidays just around the corner.

In this podcast episode, I’m embracing all things autumn with a special fall and seasonal holiday Q&A. From favorite fall memories to traditions, I’ll answer some fun autumnal questions and share some of my seasonal and holiday favorites. There are also a couple of interactive elements – Would You Rather and Halloween Trivia.

I’ve created two adorable graphics for the “Would You Rather” section, and you can find them below! If you’d like to use them on your social networks, feel free to scroll to the bottom of this post, right-click to save the images, and upload them to your favorite design platform, like Canva or Photoshop. You can also take a screenshot on your phone or device and join in the fun by choosing your favorites. I thought this would be a great interactive element for my listeners/readers to enjoy!

I’ve also included a fun Halloween trivia section! You can check out the questions and answers below to play along with your family and friends.

So grab your favorite warm drink, settle in, and let’s dive into the joys of fall together!

Fall & Seasonal Holiday Questions

Tune in to the podcast episode to hear me answer these questions. You can also use them as fun ice breakers at your parties and gatherings with family, friends, or co-workers.

Fall Questions:

• Do you have one standout memory of fall that will always stay with you?
• Is there a certain smell you associate with fall?
• How do you typically spend a cozy fall day?
• What’s your absolute favorite fall comfort food?
• What is your favorite pumpkin food to eat during the fall season?
• What new book/TV show/movie have you been enjoying this month?

Halloween Questions:

• What was the most memorable Halloween costume you ever wore growing up?
• Are you more into scary or funny Halloween costumes?
• What’s your favorite memory from Halloween parties as you were growing up?
• What do you think is the optimal age-cap for trick-or-treating (e.g at what age do you think folks should stop trick-or-treating)?
• What was your candy-eating or candy-sorting process when you were a kid?

Thanksgiving Questions:

• What’s your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?
• If you had to pick between being at the Thanksgiving parade or the Thanksgiving football game, which would you pick? Why?
• If you could invite one person (living or dead) to join you for Thanksgiving dinner, who would it be?
• Do you have your big Thanksgiving meal for lunch or dinner?
• What side dish must be included in your Thanksgiving spread?
• Who has the worst job: Those cooking the Thanksgiving meal or those cleaning up after it? Which would you prefer?
• Do you go Black Friday shopping? Share your craziest story.

Would You Rather…

Feel free to use the graphics below on your social platforms.

Halloween Trivia Questions

In what country did Halloween originate?

Answer: Ireland. Halloween originated from a Celtic festival celebrating the New Year on November 1. Traditions were to light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. 

When was Halloween first celebrated in the U.S.?

Answer: Americans first celebrated the holiday in the 1840s when Irish immigrants fleeing potato famine brought the tradition with them to the U.S.

In what century did the tradition of trick-or-treating begin?

Answer: The American tradition of trick-or-treating dates back to the 1920s, but in Europe, as early as the 16th century people were known to go from door to door on Halloween night asking for food, reciting verses, wearing costumes, and warning of curses if they didn’t get a warm welcome.

How did World War II affect trick-or-treating?

Answer: Sugar was the first commodity to be rationed in the U.S. during the war, starting in 1942, so candy distribution had to be adjusted accordingly. When the ration was lifted in 1947, though, candy production and the popularization of trick-or-treating picked up.

What was the original purpose of bobbing for apples on Halloween?

Answer: Fortune-telling, specifically predicting whom a woman would marry. Each apple represented a different suitor, and whichever apple the woman ended up biting into was said to represent her future husband.

Why do we associate orange and black with Halloween?

Answer: Original Halloween decor drew from the natural colors in season in October that were largely orange and yellow (pumpkins! hay bales! marigolds!), and it also drew in black as a dark color to represent an eerie, spooky vibe. Over the years, the use of these colors became more commercialized.

In what city and state is it illegal to have silly-string on Halloween night?

Answer: Los Angeles, California. Starting in 2004 in the Hollywood area, silly-string is banned from Halloween night. If you’re seen with silly string or selling it, you can be fined $1,000.

Most popular costume for adults: Witch

Most popular costume for kids: Princess

Popular costumes in 2024: Beetlejuice, Deadpool, Wolverine; For couples: Joker & Harley Quinn

How many Halloween costumes are bought each year for pets?

Answer: 29 million

The Tootsie Roll has stood the test of time on Halloween. In what year was the Tootsie Roll created?

Answer: 1907! The Tootsie Roll was patented in 1907 for its unique texture and started being sold commercially in 1908. The Tootsie Roll was the first individually wrapped penny candy and was created by Leo Hirshfield from New York. Hirshfield immigrated from Austria and his father was a candy maker in Austria. He named the candy after his daughter Clara who’s nickname was “Tootsie.”

What is America’s favorite Halloween candy?

Answer: Reese’s come out on top according to a 2023 poll with 29 percent of Americans choosing it as their favorite. Snickers came in second followed by a three-way tie for third between candy corn, Kit Kats, and M&Ms.

How many pounds of candy corn are produced every single year?

Answer: You may find it hard to believe, but 35 million pounds of candy corn is made every year! That’s 9 billion pieces of the tricolor wonders to munch on every Halloween.

How many apples does it take to make one gallon of apple cider?

Answer: 36-42 medium apples

What spices are in Pumpkin Pie Spice?

Answer: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, allspice

What vegetables were used as Jack-o-Lanterns before pumpkins?

Answer: Turnips and potatoes. Halloween originated in Ireland and turnips and potatoes were originally carved celebrating the legend of Stingy Jack who played tricks on the Devil. Pumpkins were carved in place of turnips and vegetables when Irish immigrants moved to America. 

Is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable?

Answer: This might come as a surprise, but it’s a fruit! Anything that starts as a flower, like a pumpkin, becomes a fruit.

Which country holds the record for the largest pumpkin ever?

Answer: United States! In 2023, Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota, won the 50th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California, with an enormous pumpkin that weighed 2,749 pounds and could produce at least 687 pies.

What is the world record for the most lit jack-o-lanterns on display?

Answer: 30,581 in October 2013 at the New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival (also known as the Keene Pumpkin Festival from 1991 to 2014, and the Laconia Pumpkin Festival in 2015; often referred to as Pumpkin Fest) is a pumpkin festival that is held in Laconia, New Hampshire, United States before Halloween. Each year, New Hampshire residents and citizens attempt to amass the largest number of lit jack-o’-lanterns in one place, trying to meet or beat the world record

What is the highest grossing horror film to date?

Answer: 2017’s It comes in at the top, with The Sixth Sense (1999) and Jaws (1975) in the second and third spots.

Which film popularized the modern visual image of the witch, with flowing robes, a pointed hat, a mole, and a hooked nose? 

Answer: The Wizard of Oz.

Where did Frankenstein originate?

Answer: English author Mary Shelley first wrote a novel in 1818 about Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates the creature we all know today. She was only 20 years old when it was published.

Where did the Headless Horseman originate?

Answer: American author Washington Irving created the character in his 1820 short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The horseman was the ghost of a soldier decapitated in the Revolutionary War.

What year will have the next Halloween with a full moon?

Answer: 2039. The previous Halloween with a full moon was just in 2020, so you’ll have to wait another 16 years to see another full moon on Halloween night.