I am not that into Halloween. I don’t even really know what All Hallows Eve means, though I imagine its somehow loosely related to Dia De Los Muertos. The costumes, the spooky decor, the pumpkins, the spiderwebs. It makes me cringe just thinking about it all!
Worst of all is the actual night of Halloween. My dogs go nuts over visitors at our front door. I would leave a bowl of candy on our front stoop, but I get irrationally annoyed by the kids who take all of the candy at once. One year, some kids even took the big mixing bowl where I left the Halloween candy. I’m still bitter about that burn!
I dread the end of October because of the “holiday,” but my kids are ecstatic about the idea of dressing up in a costume for an entire day – and, of course, the candy. It seems like each year, the stores start bringing out their Halloween decor earlier and earlier. My kids start brainstorming their costumes when its still 100 degrees outside. I can feel the goosebumps bubbling up as I’m typing this post.
But then, I read a post like this one from my friend’s blog and am reminded we are, in fact, the memory makers of our kids’ childhoods. My own father is very anti-Halloween, but I don’t recall his distaste for the dreary day in October. I remember him helping me put on my wings when I dressed up as a butterfly or adjusting my sparkly blue wig when I couldn’t wait to be Thing #2. I remember him picking the orange Tootsie Roll Pops out of my candy stash because those are his favorite!
I don’t want my kids to look back on their youth and remember that mommy was a grump when it came to Halloween. This year, my girl squad has decided they want to dress up as Team Umizoomi. I suppose it could be worse! For those that are unfamiliar, Team Umizoomi is a cartoon trio that solves everyday problems using preschool math concepts. Adorable, right?
I might cringe as I stroll the aisles of Target looking for supplies I need to make costumes, but I won’t let the girls see it. Heck, I might even buy them some pumpkins! Maybe I’ll never grow to care for the holiday. But I sure will do my best to make it memorable for my three girls. And save the peanut butter M&Ms for me, kids.
