Hey Friends. We had a great little mini-vacation last week up to the beautiful mountains of Colorado. We didn't really do anything we couldn't have done at home, but we got away from our never-ending project list, which was very refreshing.
Well, it's Halloween, and I was thinking about the evolution of my thoughts on Halloween and thought I'd share it with you.
Growing up, Halloween was fun. I remember my mom made this stuffed man every year with a corn-cob pipe that we called "Igor" who sat on our front porch in October. He wasn't scary at all that I remember. We also had the traditional cardboard cutout skeleton hanging on our door. There may have been more decorations, but that's really all I remember. I always joke that since I was the baby of the family by a looong way, my parents were kind of tired by the time I came around, so my brother's and sister's memories may be different than mine, but I really don't think Halloween was a "big deal." I even wore the same Raggedy Ann costume a few years in a row in elementary school. I'm not sure if this was my mom's idea, or if I insisted (and she probably sighed in relief.) We lived out in the country, so I don't have really strong memories of neighborhood trick-or-treating. All in all, I think I had a relatively normal (probably a little on the understated side) Halloween upbringing.
Fast forward to college - my sister brought home a video called "Halloween - Trick or Treat?" which goes into detail about Halloween's origins and discusses some of the awful things that happen on this day. It was enough to make me want nothing to do with this day. The movie was over the top probably, but it raised some really good questions: What is with this human fascination with being scared and grossed out? Would God really want anything to do with all this? How can I participate in something that comes from such a horrible starting place? These were pretty straight-forward questions for me, but I had some honest reservations, too.
Which brings me to where I am today, with a house full of children. I came to a realization right before I became a mom that I LOVE (yeah, that's present tense:) candy and dress-up. My biggest memories as a kid involved mainly those two things, so that's our focus. We don't focus on anything scary. Charlie Brown is as scary as we go. I have so much fun putting costumes together. I've always tried to dress my kids with a theme, and it's SO cute. This year we're doing Narnia. The baby is Aslan, and the cutest is my 2 year old - he's Mr. Tumnus. It's been a blast getting ready!
This is probably the last year I can do this because the oldest 2 kids informed me that they want to pick their own costumes next year (sniff). Don't they realize it's all about me?!?
I think Halloween is what you make it. Honestly, it does come from some really bad origins, but Christmas and Easter are right up there with their questionable beginnings as well, and I'm not about to go cooky and give up all that. I love holidays and the traditions they bring. The way my family celebrates any given holiday is probably different than yours, but it is something we own and my kids will take those memories with them forever. So, I want to hear your thoughts. How do you (or do you) celebrate Halloween? I'm off to go make sure our candy stash is safe to eat - I'm willing to sacrifice myself for a butterfinger <grin>.
Good stuff.
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