Ah, fall in the 1980s... A glorious time when the leaves turned, the air got crisp, and our moms forced us into thick turtlenecks that felt like stylish chokeholds. For Generation X, autumn wasn’t about Pinterest-perfect pumpkin patches or artisanal cider flights. No, our fall traditions were built on a solid foundation of scratchy fabrics, sugary cereals, and pure analog joy.
Let’s start with back to school, the true kickoff to the season even though it technically wasn't quite yet autumn. Forget ergonomic backpacks and iPads; we schlepped around 30 pounds of Trapper Keepers, spiral notebooks, and textbooks that smelled like despair and mildew. We shopped for school supplies at the local five and dime, Kmart (blue light special, baby!) or the local grocery store. If you were lucky, you scored the Pac-Man or Lisa Frank folder. If you were really lucky, your parents sprung for the 64-pack of Crayola crayons. You know which one I'm talking about, the one with the built-in sharpener that never worked. Our clothes typically came from department stores such as Sears, Hills, Montgomery Ward, the aforementioned Kmart or a variety of smaller, specialty stores such as Merry-Go-Round, County Seat, United Colors of Benetton or Chess King. As the weather cooled, we began the annual wardrobe transition: shorts were banished, and it was time for high-waisted jeans, rugby shirts, and the ever-essential corduroy. The static electricity was intense. You could light up a room (and shock a sibling) just by walking across the carpet and scuffing your feet. Hell, we could probably have lit up the Eiffel Tower with the electricity we generated!
And then — oh yes — came Halloween! This was long before safety warnings and Pinterest DIY hacks. Our costumes were 97% flammable and 100% plastic, purchased at the local drugstore, complete with that weird-smelling vinyl poncho and a hard plastic mask that cut into your face and made you sweat like a maniac. We didn’t worry about BPA; we were too busy trying to breathe through a nose hole the size of a pencil lead. Some of us were lucky enough to have crafty parents who toiled over the sewing machine in an attempt to create the perfect costume for their kid. Trick-or-treating was an all-night marathon. We carried pillowcases, not cute buckets, and we had one mission: fill it to the brim. Once you returned home, a parent would rummage through your hard-earned sugar stash looking for needles and razor blades, happily pocketing their favorite candies for themselves to enjoy once you fell asleep. You’d trade candy in the school cafeteria like it was Wall Street. “I’ll give you two Smarties for one Reese’s.” “Throw in a full-size Snickers, and we’ve got a deal.” No one wanted Necco Wafers or those mystery peanut butter taffies in orange wrappers. We still don’t.
Fall also meant endless Saturday mornings with cartoons and sugary cereal. Count Chocula and Boo Berry dominated the season, but Cap'n Crunch and Sugar Smacks were in contention for the top title. After our sugar comas wore off, we’d head outside for leaf pile jumping and impromptu football games. We didn't need organized sports or orange slices, just a Nerf ball that was missing a few chunks and a vague sense of the rules.
Speaking of football, Friday nights were reserved for attending the home football games with our friends. We would dash out the door wearing our tightest jeans and a sweatshirt while telling our mothers we didn't need a jacket because it was still plenty warm out, only to be shivering by halftime once the sun had gone down and the dew started to form in the grass. We would arrive in small groups that grew into large groups that would then splinter back off depending on what everyone wanted to do. Some groups would run off to a grassy area and engage in their own game of football once someone arrived with a battered Nerf football while others haunted the area around the concessions stand nibbling their way through candy bars, soft pretzels and hot dogs. The more adventurous types would find themselves huddled under the bleachers making out with their significant others or passing around a pack of Marlboro Reds that were lifted from some unsuspecting mother's purse.
Thanksgiving capped off the season. It was a time to gather with extended family, watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on a fuzzy tube TV while dinner was being prepared by the women and the men talked football all while praying your drunk uncle didn’t bring up politics. In my family, it was the weird uncle and his Polack jokes. Dinner was a spread of roasted turkey, Stove Top stuffing, boxed mashed potatoes topped with gravy from a jar, canned green beans, cranberry sauce still in its original can shape, and if you were in a “gourmet” household, a Jell-O mold with mysterious floating bits alongside the traditional pumpkin pie. The adults would gather around the dining room table while us kids were relegated to the "kid's table", which was a folding card table that wobbled and mismatched chairs. After gorging ourselves on dinner, we would be kicked out of the house to play football until someone inevitably took a football to the face a la The Brady Bunch. "Oh! My nose!"
So here's to fall in the '80s! No smartphones, no influencers, just pure, unfiltered Gen X vibes. We survived without GPS, gluten-free pies, or pumpkin spice everything. And honestly? We had a blast doing it.
Ready to moonwalk back in time? Come hang out with us on The Epic 80’s—your all-access pass to the raddest decade ever! Catch totally tubular throwbacks on TikTok, relive the good vibes on Facebook, pin your favorite retro looks on Pinterest, and binge epic memories on YouTube. Don’t forget to tune into our podcast for behind-the-scenes stories and follow us on Instagram for a daily dose of neon nostalgia. From big hair to bigger hits, we’re keeping the 80s alive—one totally awesome post at a time. Join the fun and let’s party like it’s 1985!
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