This Company Will Literally Mail You Fall Leaves

Ah, fall. The time of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, scandalous Halloween costumes, and fresh shipments of fallen New England leaves with which to decorate your apartment, because you live in a tragically bare urban landscape filled with more cranky taxi drivers than autumn foliage ... Wait. What? It's true: A new company called ShipFoliage will literally mail you leaves from New England. No more will you have to bribe your mom to send you bags of half-moldy leaves to strew around your living room in an attempt to recreate the deciduous forests of your childhood. For just $19.99, ShipFoliage will mail a bundle of three carefully-chosen leaves from the forest floors of New Hampshire and Vermont right to your door. Hot diggity, that's a bargain if I've ever seen one!

What's that? You've never felt the desire to scatter actual fallen leaves around your apartment? Well, clearly someone has, or else ShipFoliage wouldn't exist in all its autumnal, gimmicky glory. Believe it or not, it's not quite as pointless as it sounds; according to their website, the leaves undergo a "unique preservation process" that theoretically allows them to last for years. It's still not exactly an investment, but it might be a nice gift for a friend who is unable to fly home to New England for its famed autumn foliage.

Personally, I would prefer to just change the background of my computer to some leaves and call it a day, but if you feel like spending $20 on a "leaf bundle," that's totally up to you. That being said, I have to wonder what's next after ShipFoliage. There's already a similar company that ships snow to people, so it's not exactly a stretch to imagine people going a little overboard with the "seasonal shipping" idea. Mark my words: Next Valentine's Day, there will be a company offering to ship locks of your ex's hair straight to your door. Just you wait.

If you're not feeling inclined to purchase anything from ShipFoliage (or its future spawn), but still find yourself missing New England in the fall, let's take a look at some other ways of getting your foliage fix.

1. Go Hiking

You might not be able to visit New England this year, but no matter where you live, there's bound to be hiking somewhere close by. Even Southern California has a late and incredibly brief fall with gorgeous foliage.

2. Take A Road Trip

If you live too far away to hike, why not find a nearby forest and make a long weekend out of the trip? You can take a scenic drive through the forest, or you could even ...

3. Go Camping

Hiking is all well and good, but if you go camping, you get to enjoy the fall weather as long as you want. Well, until you have to head back to work, but let's not think about that.

4. Search Instagram

If there's absolutely no feasible way to take a trip somewhere — what, do you live in the tropics or something? — there's always Instagram. Search #fall, #foliage, or any variation on the topic for some incredibly beautiful photographs of cooler climates.

5. Go To A Fall Festival

Fall festivals are my favorite way to get into the fall spirit. They're kitschy, fun, and they're full of delicious food. What's not to love?

6. Hang Up Landscapes

Landscapes get a bad reputation in the art community, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Go to a thrift shop, get yourself a cheap, fall-themed landscape, and start decorating. When you're finished, why not curl up with a PSL and watch the Travel Channel?

Images: Anthony Quintano (2), Patrick, Anathea Utley, ilovebutter, woodfin, Paul Sihvonen-Binder,MK Feeney/Flickr