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Halloween!

I love Halloween! I mean it is my favorite holiday. When I was a kid my favorite games were make believe and dress-up.  Normally, we did not get candy so Halloween was a door-to-door delivery of the mother-load. Most people get nostalgic about Thanksgiving or Christmas, I get all excited about …you guessed it Halloween. It is really interesting since my normal parameter of “a day off work” to designate real holidays doesn’t apply here. It is a normal work day but in many of the jobs I have had, we were able to dress and candy flowed freely across many desks. Now that I have kids the true joy of this fall time ritual is once again abundant in my home.

As with any holiday, there are family traditions. My parents like to serve chili on Halloween night. Each year the chili got more and more spicy and the deal was we had to finish an entire bowl before we were allowed to venture out for the candy jackpot. After trick-or-treat, we all picked a spot on the living room floor and dumped our score in a pile. After Mom and Dad gave our candy a once over and removed the undesirables we traded and ate while watching the end of the Wizard of Oz on TV. My mom always had cider or cocoa and donuts, a truly traditional Halloween treat.

Though I have tried to keep the chili challenge alive, we have had a difficult time creating a yearly ritual. Perhaps we have moved too much or our kids were just too young to really have any consistent plans. We have trick-or treated in different areas with different groups. Though we always have fun it might be nice to be in the same place every year. So, this year I am creating new portable traditions. The other night we “Booed” a few friends delivering a Halloween basket of treats anonymously. It was so much fun and the kids found out that giving is as much fun if not more than receiving.

I am also going to have the kids work on a fun Halloween story with me.  We will draw some pictures and make up a story and then if all goes well I will put it together and make a copy for each. What a great idea…hope it actually happens.

Halloween, all holidays really, is about tradition, they are the things we remember and that make it special. Wow, I think I just upped the stakes. I better check Pinterest for some better ideas and step it up a notch. Good luck to you and see you at the Clubhouse!