Adapting Family Traditions

Every fall, my family goes apple picking.

We usually get an absurd amount of apples (at least two bushels) and my mom takes a bunch of cute pictures of our family. We start eating them in the car and after we get home, my dad makes an amazing apple crisp. It’s a fun tradition and my fall wouldn’t feel the same without it.

I hadn’t thought about what would happen when I went to college. I would no longer be home in September and October, generally when we would go to an orchard. Plus, it’s not like I could come back just to pick apples — the state of Minnesota isn’t exactly close to the state of Virginia, where the rest of my family lives.

My first year, it wasn’t really an issue. My whole family flew to Minnesota to drop me off, and the day before I moved to campus we visited Fireside Orchard, where we were able to continue this tradition and get some cute pictures. We picked fewer apples than we would normally, but I still had plenty in my dorm room for later.

While my father drove up with me to help me get settled at the beginning of my second year, it wasn’t a family event anymore. We didn’t go apple picking as a family for the first time in a very long time.

However, the tradition of going apple picking did not end. I adapted it to include my friends!

The Student Activities Office provides funding for clubs and trips off campus. Last fall, they organized buses to Fireside Orchard so students could go apple picking with friends. Fireside also sells amazing apple donuts, cider, and caramel. Plus, it’s really close to campus, so a big group of my friends was able to go.

We still explored the orchard while enjoying the beautiful Minnesota fall weather — we even picked some apples ourselves! Also,we took tons of cute photos of each other and gave piggy back rides.

There was even some juggling involved!

Although apples are certainly a tasty fall snack, I came to realize through this trip that the real joy of going apple picking was spending time with the people you love. Carleton already has a lot of wonderful traditions, but it’s always good to add one more. So if there’s a family tradition you love, don’t forget to bring it with you to college!

McKenna is a Russian and Psychology double major who is suffering from major Minnesota-withdrawal (her favorite season is, in fact, winter). On campus, she’s often designing lights for a student performance, speaking Russian in Parish house, or grabbing a meal with friends. She’s also a proud member of the Carleton Equestrian Team and is currently playing Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in her free time. Meet the other bloggers!