I'm going to be honest - I secretly don't like Halloween. As a child, Halloween was thrilling - the costumes, the candy, the pumpkin carving, who didn't love it? But now that I'm a mom, my perspective has shifted.
Instead of delicious goodies, I see sugar bug infested cavity makers filling my childrens' trick-or-treat bags. Instead of fun costumes, I see safety hazards and money grabs for cheap fabrics that barely make it through one wear. Instead of funny faced jack-o-lanterns, I see myself scrubbing gooey pumpkin guts off the dining room table, scratching the stubborn bits off with my nails (and chipping my polish).
But I refuse to show my apathy. I grin and bear it, and sometimes I even dive in with enthusiasm, because hey, my kids love it, and I love my kids.
While I usually spend a day trudging through mucky pumpkin patches with wildly enthusiastic kids running left and right in search of the perfect gourds, this year we opted for a simpler route - grocery store pumpkins. Not because of my lack of enthusiasm for the holiday, but because we had had a week of torrential downpours, and my daughter had made the trip with her Kindergarten class already, so the missed trip was justified.
To make up for the missed day at the patch, we bought 5 pumpkins from the store, put on some spooky Halloween music, laid out some treats, and carved away. My job: to pick out the seeds, keep the place tidy, and keep the children from touching the sharp knives. Fun right?
But as I begrudgingly tidied and wiped and washed the seeds, something happened. I noticed my husband and kids were laughing and making faces and poking slimy hands into each other's faces, and I smiled. I started singing along to The Monster Mash and even jumped in and helped with the carving.
Once the kids were tucked into bed, I decided to go against my usual loathing for lunch-making, and make a cute Halloween lunch for my kids, and I even decided to make the Halloween treats for daycare a day earlier!
4 hours in the kitchen and a counter full of goodies later, and I felt a little better about the quickly-approaching day of spooks.
Sure we'd be sloshing through rain, costumes mucking up from mud puddles, candy wrappers sogging the candy it holds. Shivering in my thin rain jacket, umbrella in one hand and coffee in the other. But for the kids, it's one of the most exciting days of the year. It means fun, it means treats, and it means spending time with friends and family. So while I'm quietly loathing the occasion, I will also be drinking in the enthusiasm, and feeling thankful for the happiness it all brings to my kids.
Okay, I'll admit it. Sometimes I feel this way when it comes to Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love the holiday, but a lot of the joy and magic I felt as a kid disappears as an adult and all the work behind it.
ReplyDeleteAs for all that sugar that comes home? This is one time of year I'm kind of glad I've got a kidlet who can't eat all that cr*p (gluten, casein, refined sugars, preservatives, dyes). So, because of that, every Halloween, the kidlets go trick or treating to show off their costumes, but then they hand over their candy and swap it for a new toy. Yes, the toy costs more, but it lasts longer and then there's no sugar guilt. And because they're getting something new & fun to play with and they don't have candy anyways, they're fine with it. :>
We do have A LOT of roasted pumpkin seeds after a whole lotta pumpkin cleaning out & carving! And you SO take the candy cake, so to speak, with the creative Halloween lunch!
Happy Halloween! Maybe one of those cider martinis I keep seeing on Pinterest would be nice tomorrow night! ;> :>
Holey camole...I got chatty! Whoops! :>
ReplyDeleteI am so with you. I've never been a fan of Halloween. And I've never really understood adults who get really into it and enjoy dressing up. Just not my cup of tea and it all seems like a whole lot of work with very little payoff. The only saving graces, as far as I'm concerned, are the kids' excitement, swiping goodies from Lilah's stash, and, of course, the photo ops.
ReplyDeleteTotally - I never liked Halloween either. Not as a child, and even less as an adult. I mean, I'm fine dressing my son as whatever he wants, but I really dislike all the shops and restaurants with all these crap decorations up, it's so horrible. Blah. I just keep my mouth shut until it's all over.
ReplyDeleteHi Bianca! Your blog is awesome and it inspires me to start my own blog. I am a mother of 2 as well and I am totally with what you wrote. Anyhow, for now, I am writing on behalf of Kits Family Dental who recently did a promotion for this Halloween. We are promoting oral health among young children, we have started a campaign where kids can trade in their Halloween candy for a free dental examination and a small gift (toys/books sponsored by various stores in Vancouver). While Halloween is over, we would still love to have someone like yourself to blog about this event so that in future, more awareness will be created amongst parents to participate. It would be so great if you can do this for us. We can provide all the details. Please email Sue at: kitsfamilydental@gmail.com and we will be happy to provide whatever information you need.
ReplyDeletethanks and hope to hear from you soon!
cheers Sue