October 31, 2013, Halloween.

This strange “holiday”, that my family didn’t celebrated growing up & were mistaken for Jehovah Witnesses because of it. My parents made up for it as well as they could for not allowing us to participate in what would  have likely been the most insanely awesome night of the year! Or so I thought, (because of my obsession with candy).  We went to something at our church called “Harvest Fest” and it was sufficient enough at the time.  In the quaint little town of Roselawn I’m sure the memories of Halloween, had we gone out, would have been as sweet as the candy given.  Overall though, I didn’t mind. The simple explanation was that the other holidays were are reason to give God praise & this one wasn’t, and honestly that was enough for me.   The first time I walked around town & went door to door I was twenty-eight assisting a teen  mom (from Father’s Love) and her baby. In a bigger town with more crime it felt eerie, the way I imagined Halloween would feel in the dark, knocking on strange doors.  People passing, not seeing faces, getting hit by an egg in a drive by….I really was a scaredy cat, a true victim of Halloween.  It didn’t spark an interest in me to get involved on the 31^st night of October any more than I had in times past, (although still bewitched with the candy) I was too old to dip into the candy jar.  Speaking of being too old what’s up with the teen bums costumed in ripped jeans & a mask that knock on my door on this particular night? Before I encounter these hallow teens I prepare in advance what I might say to one obviously over the age of treating, perhaps something along the lines of: “Seems you’re getting a little old for this eh? Scram!”  What else could I tactfully say to turn down a devilish adolescent boy assuring my house wouldn’t later get egged? On second though maybe I shouldn’t trouble the waters, (after all who wants to be the Grinch of Halloween?)

And that paragraph alone was the whole sum of my thoughts and interest, or lack thereof, in Halloween…until I had kids.  Sheesh, having children truly does make you look at the entire world differently (and all the other cliché’s you hear parents say).  Things I never thought of thinking, I think & re-think & think again, and then one more time, because it’s all different in my head (& heart) now that the loves of my life are walking around the earth with their adorable little feet.  Yet in attempt not to break my brain over the matter I simply concluded, “Na, we’ll just skip it”. The holiday seemed too foreign to me & since the hubs didn’t mind either way celebrating now was pointless, I thought… UNTIL I received two matching ridiculously adorable Thumper (yes THUMPER) costumes in the mail from my sister in law. The day we opened the box from PA my oldest son (who is not yet two) was a little bunny all day.  I couldn’t laugh or take enough pictures.  I guess the verdict was in that we were going to HAVE to celebrate Halloween, at least this year!  How could I not get good use of these darling outfits that made my kids look like walking stuffed animals (or more accurately one walking, one being held)? So with that we went out and enjoyed the evening, stopping in on friends, and showing off our baby doll bunnies while collecting some sweet candy & memories to take at home with us tonight.

How about you? Did you have a “Hoppy Halloween??”

Couldn’t resist.