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Cozy Gifts for All Five Senses: Fall Edition SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 / ADINA BAILEY / 
Hello, Take Them A Meal friends! To all of you who are missing your college student like I am, you are not alone. We dropped our youngest off at college for the first time at the end of August. It's starting to feel like that was a long time ago. I've sent a few care packages and the NeeDoh Nice Cube for her desk has received the best reaction. Let me know what you all are sending as we count down to seeing our students again!
After today's post I'll share a photo of the fall recipe that I make the most! ~Adina
This episode of The Next Right Thing podcast got me thinking about how to create the feeling of a season in my home rather than just pulling for visual reminders from the attic or buying more decor. What smells instantly remind you of autumn? What are your favorite fall foods? Do you remember the texture of a pumpkin on the inside?
My takeaway from the episode was there are simple ways to bring autumn warmth into my own home, and I could also do this for a friend. Even though we can't change what our loved one may be going through, we can give gifts that provide seasonal comforts.
Here are some ideas for how you can bring fall alive in the home of a dear friend or your own.
Smelling
Have you ever noticed how a scent can invoke a memory? With the right aromas, it suddenly feels like autumn. Make a batch of our popular crockpot applesauce recipe to share with your friend. The smell of cinnamon and apples cooking will fill your own rooms too. Give her a caramel scented candle or a gallon of freshly made apple cider to warm on her stove.
One year, a friend brought me a fall stove top potpourri. Simmer sliced lemon, oranges, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a stovepot full of water. If you're giving this to someone, simply bag the ingredients (unsliced fruit), include instructions, and your friend's home will smell like autumn in no time.
Hearing
Music is another way we can create the feel of a season in our home. Make a playlist for your friend. The podcast shares two autumn playlists in the show notes. Maybe for you or your friend it's a compilation of hymns like For the Beauty of the Earth or Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss performing Simple Gifts. Best of all, sharing music with your friend is free and only involves your time as you select pieces she might enjoy.
 Touching
If you've ever carved out a pumpkin for pie or your porch, you know that stringy, slimy feeling of the inside pulp. One fun project you could make for your friend (or take her the supplies to make for herself) would be a simple pumpkin centerpiece like this one where you carve out the inside of the pumpkin and fill it with mums.
You could also make up a DIY kit for these adorable birdseed ornaments. My sister made these for my family to hang in memory of my dad. You use your hands to press the seed into the cookie cutter that forms the shape. Be sure to use the straw method in the instructions for making the hole (for hanging) and don't put the hole too close to the ornament's edge.
Tasting
There are so many yummy treats to take to your friend this time of the year. Our favorite fall dish from our recipe section is this butternut squash soup. We also love these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. You can substitute applesauce for the oil if you prefer, and they work great with gluten free flour blends. This is the recipe I turn to most often when taking something to families this time of year.
Seeing
The sights of autumn are distinct, but you don't have to go overboard to provide your friend with little reminders of fall for her home. Include a mini pumpkin with your meal or a small mason jar filled with candy corn. Put some outdoor branches in a vase for a more natural look or collect a bag of colorful leaves she can scatter on her table.
I hope this post inspires you to think of simple ways to care for your friend and all of her five senses. ~Adina
Pumpkin Chip Muffins
The fact that this recipe is from 2008 proves that I have been making these pumpkin muffins a LONG time. Like I said above, you can use applesauce instead of the oil and gluten-free flour works well! If you double the recipe, you'll have about 27 muffins which is plenty to keep and share. They also freeze well! When I don't have time to send a full meal to a friend, I'll often drop off these muffins with some washed strawberries.
 Read other recent articles by Adina Bailey:
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Welcome! We're thrilled you stopped by. Our own joys and sorrows have taught us that a well-timed meal delivered by a friend is one of the best gifts imaginable. In this space, we share our favorite recipes to take to friends, meal-taking tips, and other ways to care for those who are dear to you. Helpful Posts
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