Autumn has always been one of my favorite times of year. I love the way it gradually gives way to the Christmas season. Somehow, September through January feels like one particularly cozy stretch of the year — candles around the house, long family dinners, books, long walks, evenings at the movies, and trips to the theater. It’s a collection of things I genuinely look forward to every year.

I have always loved books, although my reading list has become slightly unreasonable. I have books I own and still haven’t read, books on my wish list, and an ever-growing collection of digital books. I also have the slightly unfortunate habit of becoming interested in a new book before I’ve finished the one I’m reading.

And still, I sometimes wonder how we are supposed to read all the books we want to read.

Perhaps I should finally take a speed-reading course. Although I’m not sure I want to read faster. There is something rather lovely about reading slowly, living with a book for a while, and letting it take up a little space in your thoughts.

This year, I found myself watching When Harry Met Sally… again, a film I hadn’t seen in years. I’m not even sure why I had never gone back to it — I remember watching it once a long time ago and then somehow never returning. This time, I saw it completely differently. Perhaps that’s one of the pleasures of returning to old films: sometimes you meet them again at exactly the right moment in your life. And, of course, it is about as autumnal as a movie can be.

And then there’s You’ve Got Mail, which has been one of my favorite films for years. I watch it every autumn, and I suspect I always will. Some things become traditions without us ever really deciding that they should.

For me, autumn is also very much about being at home. Family dinners that last a little longer, the table set in the evening, and candles lit before anyone has even sat down.

I have always loved candles — not only as part of the decor, but for the simple pleasure of lighting one when we’re watching a movie or sitting around the table after dinner. They change a room in a way that has very little to do with decoration. The light becomes softer, the evening feels quieter.

This year, I decided to bring candles into dropofchilli for the first time, as part of Letters from Autumn drop.

I wanted to choose candles I would genuinely want to have at home, but also ones I would be happy to bring to a dinner or give to a friend.

I like that the best ideas rarely announce themselves as ideas. Sometimes they begin with something as simple as a candle on the dinner table.

Maybe that is why I look forward to this time of year so much. There are books to read, films to rewatch, dinners to linger over, and always another candle to light.

Join me on substack.

With love and gratitude,
Yulia Tikhomirova