hallowe'en

::  the sheriff has apprehended a suspicious looking witch (the glowing blue light is a reflector)  ::

To be honest, Hallowe'en has never been a big thing in my life.  My birthday is only a few days before so my costumes were always a last minute idea thrown together without much thought.  My parties were often decorated with black and orange balloons and we gave out jack o lantern goody bags because that's what the stores had in stock during that time of year.  I don't like wearing costumes or make up....and I do not like blood and gore!

So when I became a parent I had a lot of difficulties doing Hallowe'en.  I discovered even more things that bothered me about the day - everyone wanted to feed my children loads of sugar and candy and the stores expected me to dress them up as some licensed character...my kids didn't even know who these characters were!  The amount of waste produced from just one night astounded me!

Over the years I have developed a compromise that seems to fit our family pretty well.  I am able to hold my ground on the important issues, loosen my grasp on the not so important ones and accept the day and what it brings!

I focus on the good things and offer them to my children.  This year my daughter designed her own (friendly) witch costume and sewed it together with her Gramma.  They share a love of sewing and I encourage the time that they spend together!  It's creative and healthy!

The magic that the costumes create does not end on November 1st.  The cape will be added to our dress up drawers, ready to transform my son into a magician whenever a magic show is scheduled...!  The top and skirt were designed so that they could easily be re-hemmed (minus the tattered edge) and added to my daughter's everyday wardrobe.  I believe that even the cardboard/tin foil belt buckle will continue to entertain until it eventually falls apart.  My son's costume was put together from our dress up drawers and only required a purchased sheriff hat to complete.  Nothing is wasted!

It's become a tradition to spend the evening with the Grandparents.  We all walk to visit a few nearby neighbours and wish them a Happy Hallowe'en and admire their jack o lanterns and lights.  Then we come home and gather around the table for a big pot of steaming homemade soup and fresh bread!  It warms our tummies as well as our souls.  We eat a few pieces of candy (with the healthiest ingredients) and head to bed at a decent hour.

It's an exciting evening ..but not an overstimulating one.  There are treats to enjoy ..in moderation.  We share the evening with those that we love so that ..everyone feels safe and content.  We ..maintain our normal evening routine so that they are tucked into bed early enough and no one reaches the point of feeling overtired.

It took us a few years to find this point of balance, and it may need adjusting as they get older, but it works well for our family right now.

I hope your Hallowe'en evening was enjoyable, thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

~ joey ~