PUNKIN Day: Pumpkin Spice, Fall, and Football on September 1st
Updated: Aug 25
Hey everyone, mark your calendars: PUNKIN Day is September 1st, and around here that's a real occasion.
What Is PUNKIN Day?
PUNKIN Day is an unofficial holiday on September 1st that celebrates everything pumpkin spice, fall, and football as the official start of the fall and holiday season. We made it up at Out of the Box Advisors and we've celebrated it every year since 2019. It's the day we give ourselves permission to order the Pumpkin Spiced Latte, put out the decorations, and stop pretending we're not excited about football season. No pumpkin patch required, though we won't stop you.
And to be clear, this isn't National Pumpkin Day. That one lands on October 26th and it's mostly about the gourd itself: carving, pie, jack-o'-lanterns. PUNKIN Day is different. It isn't about the pumpkin, it's about the season. September 1st is the line in the sand where summer politely steps aside and fall gets to start, even if the thermometer disagrees. Especially if the thermometer disagrees.
Unboxed Wisdom: PUNKIN Day in a Nutshell
The whole thing, for the skimmers:
When: September 1st, every year.
What: Pumpkin spice, fall, and football, treated as the official kickoff to the fall and holiday season.
Who started it: We did. Out of the Box Advisors has celebrated PUNKIN Day since 2019.
Not to be confused with: National Pumpkin Day, which is October 26th and is about pumpkins specifically.
How to celebrate: Order the latte, light the candle, watch the game, bake something, and let yourself be corny about fall for one day.
Why a coaching firm has a holiday: Because a team that celebrates small things together handles the big things better. That part isn't a joke.
How Do You Celebrate PUNKIN Day?
There are no rules, which is the best part of inventing your own holiday. But after doing this since 2019, here's what's stuck:
1. Order the Pumpkin Spiced Latte, guilt free
This is the whole origin of the day. Somewhere along the way we decided that ordering a PSL in August felt like cheating, but September 1st? Fair game. So on PUNKIN Day, the latte is not only allowed, it's practically required. If you're a chai person or an apple cider person, we'll allow it, grudgingly.
2. Turn on football and let fall officially begin
Nothing says the season has started like the first weekend of football. The tailgate food, the arguing about your team's chances, the specific joy of a Saturday that has nowhere to be. PUNKIN Day and football season landing in the same week is not a coincidence, it's the point.
3. Visit a pumpkin patch
Every year my family would visit this one particular pumpkin patch and we would pick our favorite pumpkins to carve. These days, I still visit that same patch. The holidays are a time for traditions, old and new. So mix it up. Pick out heirloom pumpkins for the strange colors, or grab the tiniest ones and decorate them with stickers. Host a carving party and hand out prizes for zaniest, scariest, and cutest. Post the pictures and let your friends vote.
4. Bake something and share it
Cookies, banana nut bread, pumpkin scones, peanut butter brownies. Whatever your kitchen is best at. Then give some to a neighbor, because that's half the tradition. Fall baking that stays in your own house is just Tuesday with extra cinnamon.
5. Burn all the candles
Pumpkin spice, apple orchard, fall leaves (whatever that's supposed to smell like). I like to fill the house with the sweet scents of fall and read late into the evening. Make sure it's a scary book. Bonus points if you finish it before Halloween.
6. Get outside while it's finally bearable
The weather is starting to turn, and if you're not in Florida like me, the leaves are actually changing. It's the perfect time to get outside. I love taking a bike ride to my favorite coffee shop once the heat calms down. It's the most relaxed I get all week.
7. Make a haunted gingerbread house
Skip the Christmas themed gingerbread house this year and build a ghoulish one for your cookie ghosts to haunt. Yes, it's early. That's the spirit of the whole day.
Why Does a Business Coaching Firm Have Its Own Holiday?
Because the teams that hold up best are the ones that make room for silly things. We work with small business owners all year on the serious stuff: cash flow, hiring, systems, growth. And one thing we see over and over is that the owners who burn out are usually the ones who never built anything into the calendar that was purely for enjoyment. A made up holiday about lattes and football sounds like nothing. It's actually a small, repeatable reason for a team to look forward to something together.
We've written before about why a workplace that laughs performs better. PUNKIN Day is that idea wearing a scarf. And if September has you thinking about the last stretch of the year, our mid-year review guide is a good companion once the latte is finished.
Happy PUNKIN Day, Y'all
So here's to fall. To the first cool morning, the first game, the first latte you didn't have to feel weird about ordering. Whatever your version of the season looks like, September 1st is your permission slip to start it.
And if your fall to-do list includes finally getting your business sorted out, that's what we're here for the other 364 days. Grab a free consultation and we'll bring the coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PUNKIN Day?
PUNKIN Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated on September 1st each year. It marks the official start of the fall and holiday season with everything pumpkin spice, fall, and football. It was created by Out of the Box Advisors, a small business coaching firm, and has been celebrated every year since 2019. It is the day you give yourself permission to order the Pumpkin Spiced Latte, put out the fall decorations, and get excited about football season.
When is PUNKIN Day?
PUNKIN Day is September 1st, every year. The date is deliberate: it is the first day of meteorological fall and it lands right as football season begins, which makes it a natural line between summer and the fall and holiday stretch of the year.
Is PUNKIN Day the same as National Pumpkin Day?
No, they are two different things. National Pumpkin Day is observed on October 26th and celebrates pumpkins specifically, including carving jack-o'-lanterns and baking pumpkin pie. PUNKIN Day is September 1st and celebrates the arrival of the fall season more broadly, covering pumpkin spice, fall weather, and football as the kickoff to the holiday season. PUNKIN Day was created by Out of the Box Advisors.
Who created PUNKIN Day?
Out of the Box Advisors, a small business coaching firm, created PUNKIN Day and has celebrated it annually since 2019. It started as an internal team tradition marking the first acceptable day of the year to order a Pumpkin Spiced Latte, and it grew into a broader celebration of the start of fall.
How do you celebrate PUNKIN Day?
There are no official rules, but the traditions that have stuck include ordering a Pumpkin Spiced Latte guilt free, turning on football, visiting a pumpkin patch, baking something fall themed and sharing it with neighbors, burning fall scented candles, getting outside as the weather cools, and building a haunted gingerbread house well ahead of schedule. The point is giving yourself one day to be enthusiastic about the season.
Why does a business coaching firm celebrate a made up holiday?
Because teams that make room for small, silly traditions handle the serious work better. Out of the Box Advisors works with small business owners on cash flow, hiring, systems, and growth all year, and one consistent pattern among owners who burn out is that they never put anything on the calendar purely for enjoyment. A recurring, low-stakes celebration gives a team something to look forward to together, which is a small thing that compounds.
