Bring on the good holidays!

I will be honest...I am not a fan of Halloween. I rank it somewhere on my list of holidays between Arbor Day and Flag Day. Don't get me wrong - when I was younger I loved me some Halloween. I lived in an apartment with my girlfriends (therefore had no handing out candy responsibilities), we would always get dressed up as "Slutty (fill in the blank)" and we would go out to bars and drink ourselves silly. Those were the good Halloweens. But now I am a grown-up (per se) and live in a house, in the burbs, and I have a kid, and neighbors with kids, so there is a certain responsibility that comes along with Halloween. And that responsibility is for me to purchase copious amounts of candy give it out to all that ring my doorbell.

Last night was pretty much par for the course as far as Halloweens go. In the beginning there are the adorable little kids, who are so excited to receive your candy, and who are dressed up in those crazy warm one piece costumes (lions, and tigers and bears - oh my!) I wish those were the kids that came the entire night...but no, as it gets later they get older. And it seems the older they get, the more impatient they get. I answer the door, and they grab the candy and run. The costumes also get few and far between. Your high school gym sweats are not a costume girls.

Then there was the full grown man, who was at least my age, in a black jacket and wig who came to our door and said "trick o treat" and took candy from my basket before I could say anything. I feared he was more scoping out my house than interested in candy. At that point I decided it was time to turn the porch light out.

And then Halloween was over.




M had been under the weather so we didn't bother brining her out in the freezing cold, and she hated wearing the costume that I spent weeks making for her anyway (which will soon be appearing on etsy.com for sale - anyone need an Abby Cadabby costume?). I feel like she doesn't understand the whole trick o treating thing, and she wouldn't like being out in the dark with all the strangers, so it was better for us to keep her home anyway. If we lived in the city, and there was something to do before the sun set it would be totally different, but the suburban festivities really cater to the older kids.

But I do have to say I made the big mistake of giving her some candy yesterday. Now all I hear is "I want candy! I want cannnnnddddyyy!!" Like child like mother.

I love a holiday that brings families together and has it's own soundtrack, like Christmas and Easter (I know I don't believe in the religious aspect of either of these holidays, but my family ends up always being together). I love a holiday that celebrates families and friends, and also revolves around a meal, like Thanksgiving, my number one holiday of all time. Not a holiday that requires you to spend money on sugar and chocolate to give out to ungrateful teenagers who feel they deserve a handful of candy and totally phone it in by wearing only a mask - I don't call that a costume!

I am so excited that the holiday season is now upon us, and Christmas music will be playing everywhere (ask me in a few weeks and I won't be as excited I am sure), and all the Thanksgiving issues of magazines are out, and I can start planning my big dinner (which will be for my husband, M and myself, but I still love it!). And there will be holiday parties to get dressed up for (not in costume), presents to buy, trips to plan for...

I am especially excited for Christmas this year because I feel like M will actually understand what is happening. She is already watching her Mickey Christmas Movie (practically every night) and learned to sing Jingle Bells. We look at the Christmas decorations at Costco every time we go and she pets the big reindeer they have for your lawn. I can't wait to decorate the tree with her, and hang stockings, and turn on the lights every night, and sing carols. Christmas is my kind of holiday!