Fall: a time for apple picking, hayrides, and all the pumpkin spice lattes you could want. For children, the biggest highlight of the season is typically Halloween. The opportunity for scoring candy and dressing up is just about as fun as it gets for most kids.
But when I was growing up, Halloween was just “alright.” Don’t get me wrong; my mother made me some great handmade costumes ranging from Oreo cookie to Statue of Liberty to a sunflower.
I just never remember waiting for Halloween with any great anticipation. Perhaps it is because I never trick or treated in the traditional sense. My Halloween evening started and ended in the car as my parents and I visited family.
Unlike most of my peers, the holiday highlight of my autumn was Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong; I still have good childhood memories of Halloween. It just wasn’t a date on the calendar that instilled a great sense of excitement. I mean, what kid gets more excited about mashed potatoes than Kit Kats? (For the record, I find mashed potatoes and Kit Kats equally exciting as an adult).
But as I got older, I began to discover a delayed love affair with Halloween. It started when we were first married and we began hosting annual Halloween parties. We had games and costume contests. Friends would plan their costumes months in advance.
As time passed though, our friends had children, and we had our first. Suddenly it wasn’t very feasible to fit all of those people in our little house. So, our annual shindigs went by the wayside.
I quickly found my concept and appreciation of Halloween was reinvented again. It was so much fun to dress up my older son as a tiger on his first Halloween. Once we had our second child, the costume game ramped up.
My older son declared he wanted to be an elephant the year of his brother’s first Halloween (he clearly loves animals). I thought it would be fun if our boys coordinated. With no ability to sew like my Mom, I set out to piece together wallet-friendly ringmaster costume.
I relished in the challenge of putting that costume together, and of course, in how adorable they looked together! I also began to appreciate my older son’s excitement for Halloween through his eyes. He was 3 that year and started to really understand the concept of the holiday.
My eagerness for Halloween has grown with each passing year. Coordinating their costumes has turned into something fun for them and me. Subsequent costumes have been Yukon Cornelius and the Abominable Snow Monster from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Superman and Clark Kent.
However, I am keenly aware the days where they can “coordinate” are growing short. My little one, now 3, is now forming his own costume opinions. These opinions may not always be in sync with his brother’s choice. And that’s okay. I clearly want them to express their individuality, but I’ll certainly not turn them down if they have similar interests.
Costumes aside, I have discovered how much fun traditional trick-or-treating really is through my children. Watching them go door-to-door alongside their cousins warms my heart. Additionally, seeing the smiling faces handing out candy to a gaggle of children reminds me there are still good, warm-hearted people in the world.
What I’m trying to say is, Halloween is so much better now than I ever thought it was when I was a kid! Eventually my kids will think dressing up and trick-or-treating are “uncool.” Until that happens though, I intend savoring Halloween through their childlike lens.
Oh, and I’ll also be sure to enjoy one (or 10) of Kit Kats they acquire.
