Halloween is not my favorite holiday. Some years I manage to pull out a few decorations, some years they don't even make it out of the basement. I don't like the pressure of coming up with costumes. I don't like having tons of candy for the kids to hype up on, destroying any efforts and successes that I may have made attempting to keep my family healthy. The older kids do costumes on their own. Nathan and Hyrum have worn the same Tigger costumes for the last 3 years. Trick-or-Treating is LeRoy's thing (I don't go) and it usually doesn't last long because of the cold.
BUT, we do have a couple of traditions that I love.
I love carving pumpkins with the family. I love watching the kids take a large vegetable and create a masterpiece with it. I love laughing with them over the squishy pumpkin guts. I love watching the kids all help each other, especially with the sharp carving tools.
I love seeing their excitement of the glowing faces and creatures as we gather around the frozen porch to admire our work.
I thought that we were making these ghosts just so I could have another project with the kids but, according to Nathan, we made these ghosts to "scare away any Halloween monsters".
I also love making a huge, creative mess in the kitchen with my kids getting ready for our yearly "Boo-ing" of the neighbors.
I love bundling up in dark clothes, balancing plates of scary goodies while driving without the lights on and sneaking around the neighborhoods to leave a big "Boo, we love you" on their porches. I love the kids' adrenalin rush from knocking and running and hiding and hearing the yells of "thank you" as the neighbors find their treats.
I love the laughter and retelling of the experiences as we gather again at home with hot cocoa.
So, even though I don't really like the traditional Halloween activities, I'm glad we have the excuse to do these once-a-year fun things together.
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