August brings us the last full month of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere.

While there is a certain fun thinking about the autumn months that are upcoming, August gives us the opportunity to savor these summer days!

To me, this month is a month of contrasts—savoring the summertime while also embarking on the freshness of a “new year” with the start of school!

Here are 10 joyful things about August—see if you resonate with any!

#1: Lammas Day

Lammas Day—celebrated on August 1st— is one of the four Quarter Days that make up the year!

According to Britannica, Quarter Days, “marked the four quarters of the calendar as observed in the British Isles and elsewhere in northern Europe.” The other Quarter Days are All Saints Day in November, Candlemas in February, and the most recent–May Day on May 1st.

Lammas Day gets it roots from ancient England festival of Gule of August. The Almanac writes that traditionally this day was, “mark[ing] the beginning of the harvest, and especially celebrated the first wheat crop, or that of corn”. Given this, the day was usually honored with bread being baked with the first crop of grain and then consecrated at the churches. The word lammas actually comes from Old English words which combined into “loaf-mass” and got changed in pronunciation to become Lammas over time. With this shared history, Lammas Day was celebrated differently across the British Isles. For example, the Celts observed the day of Lughnasaid also on this day which was a fertility festival. In present day Ireland, blueberries are still given to sweethearts in recognition of this day.

Some ideas to celebrate:

• Make some bread!
• Go blueberry picking!
• Read about the history of Lammas Day: LAMMAS DAY-August 1, 2022
• Harvest from your garden and make a meal out of it!

#2: Soaking Up Summertime

While September is still summer until around the 20th/21st/22nd— in my mind, I always associated September with the start of autumn.

Given this, August to me is a month of soaking up every last bit out of the summertime—that is a big part of the joy of this month for me.

It’s a month of enjoying the beauty that summer brings us—mostly by being outside as much as possible!

Some Inspiration:

• Get outside a lot! Think of ways to incorporate the outdoors into daily routines—enjoy your morning routine outside, read a book outside, play outside, do some movement outdoors, eat your meals outside!
• Harvest your garden/ go to a Farmer’s Market and enjoy the abundance of produce this time of year!
• Slow Down (I think of the Europeans in August—this is the month traditionally associated with stores and towns closing down for the month for everyone to enjoy some vacation/relaxation time!) Try setting an intention to slow down and just be more in the moment. It’s a pretty beautiful place to be!

#3: Sunflower Season

Late July/August/and into September brings us the beauty of sunflowers!

There is just something about a sunflower that makes any arrangement or any bouquet just seem a little more cheerful looking at it! Sunshine in a flower—does it get any more joyful than that?

I love this sunflower quote by Joe Hill, which reminds us of the beauty of sunflowers as well as the beauty of the unknown.

“Who knows what may lie around the next corner? There may be a window somewhere ahead. It may look out on a field of sunflowers.”-Joe Hill

According to Floriography by Jessica Roux, the symbolism of sunflowers has a less than sunny meaning. The flower symbolizes “false riches”.

However, the origin story shines a better light on the sunflower. Roux writes, the sunflower was thought by the Inca to represent Inti—the sun god. Given this, the Inca used the sunflower shape in gold. Eventually, when the conquistadors came and happened upon a sunflower field, they thought they had found gold. This gave way to the “false riches” symbolism behind the flower! I like to think the sunflower’s symbolism is more so about mistaking the flower for gold in a good way than not stumbling upon wealth!

Tips:

• Go sunflower picking!
• Pick up some sunflowers for your home
• Listen to this song: “Sunflower” by Shannon Purser or “Sunflower” by We Banjo 3 or “sunflower.” by Nicolle Galyon
• Check out these quotes on sunflowers: Sunflower Quotes to Inspire and Brighten Your Day
• Make something with sunflower seeds
• Harvest the seeds to plant somewhere for next year!
• Join the National Sunflower Association

#4: Summertime Drives

Is there anything as great—or more summery—than a good old fashioned summer drive?

Windows down, pleasant temperatures, a good playlist, and just driving with no real goal in mind—perhaps stumbling along somewhere to stop.

It all combines to make such a feeling of pure joy!

Take some time to just soak up the sunshine and the summertime with a great drive this month!

#5: Peach Season

Peaches are really such a great taste of late summer, and I love how August is the month of peaches.

This year I decided to start preserving peaches, and it truly has been such a treat that I know will yield such joy later into the next months when I get to taste a bite of summertime again.

My inspiration for canning this year came from Meg Faletra of The Well Co. Her website and Instagram are now more geared towards motherhood and raising babies, but if you scroll back through her Instagram–she has a lot of awesome inspiration for taking the time to preserve.

*NOTE: Make sure before you attempt any preserving you consult a reputable source in order to understand how to properly and safely can and preserve. A good source that I use is: The Complete Guide to Home Canning by the United States Department of Agriculture.

#6: That “Back-to-School” Feeling

Growing up, I loved August because it meant it was “back-to-school” time!

Even before the first day, I always loved just prepping for back-to-school. Organizing, seeing what I needed, getting the supply lists, getting my schedule—all of it was just so exciting!

Perhaps—as an adult reflecting back— what I really loved and found joy in about “back-to-school” time was the chance to organize and do inventory. This August, I have really made an effort to organize more and see what all I need to get rid of and what I need to get and/or replace, and I have to say—it really has been so wonderful to do!

If you are in the midst of a more traditional “back to school” season, remember to take the time to savor the excitement of a new season approaching and getting the chance to get organized. If you are not in the traditional “back to school” mode, try taking inventory of the things you own (like your clothes, shoes, pantry, etc.—break it up into smaller tasks if your brain works well that way!) and see what all needs to be mended, donated, bought, repurposed or just reorganized. It really leaves you with joy going into this new season of autumn next month!

#7: The “First Day of School” Feeling

Just as exciting—and maybe even a little more exciting—than the back to school season was the first day of school feeling when I was growing up. Thinking about it, even today, I can recall how much I loved the first day of school!

Everything felt so joyfully fresh, so new, and so full of potential! It is in such contrast to the joyful feeling that the last day of school brings as I talked about in my 10 joyful things post for June.

There’s a saying that I have heard circled around by a lot of teachers that says something along the lines of “My new year will always be when the school year starts”. In essence, it’s really true. January certainly brings a freshness with its new calendar year, but when school starts up again, there is a certain feeling of a new year again.

Much like the “back to school” feeling above, whether you are in the traditional school starting time or not, maybe there is a bit of joy-lesson found in the “first day of school” excitement feeling. After the more relaxed nature of summertime, this new season of the year brings us the chance to welcome more joyful structure back into our lives—and to get excited about that!

Some Inspiration:

• Review your routines—and make changes to make them more aligned with what you would like them to look like!
• Add some routines into your day (maybe schedule a standing dinner with friends or a day you will volunteer your time or a phone call with someone on a certain day and time)
• Sign up for a class to learn something you want to learn more about
• Join a committee/board
• Join a group that interests you!

#8: Cooler Nights and Mornings

After the warmth of the previous summer months, August brings us such pleasant and cooler nights and mornings.

There is certainly something welcomed (and joyful!) after the heat to have to put a sweater on in the morning or to be able to turn the AC off and open the windows over the night.

It is such a nice hint of the wonderfulness of the upcoming months!

#9: Football is Back!

The college football lover in me loveeeesssss that August brings us back to football season again.

Football just seems so quintessentially autumn—so when it comes back again it, it is does feel like autumn is on its way again.

Even if you are not a “sports ball” person as a family friend says, football season is a great reminder of the anticipation that this season brings! If you are a sports fan— there is some true joy about football season starting again, isn’t there?

#10: Hints of Autumn

Usually by the end of August, there is a true sense that fall is indeed around the corner again, and there tends to be little hints that start pointing us to that.

Whether it is starting to see some mums and pumpkins at the gardening store, the cooler nights and mornings, school starting again, football coming back again, apples starting to show up at the markets/farm stands, or even some little bits of leaves changing color, there is a certain joy in knowing the autumn season is soon to make its appearance once again!

What do you find joyful about this summer month? Comment below!