Another Halloween has come and gone and I already miss the twinkling spooky lights that illuminated our windows and the smell of burning jack-o-lanterns. I have always loved Halloween and despite no longer having kids in the house, I still carve pumpkins, watch Hocus Pocus (1 and 2) on repeat, and light votives that cast shadows and light the darkness of a cool fall night. I love the time just before night fall on Halloween and am excited to begin to see the streets fill with kids and their parents on the hunt for candy.
Whether you opt to believe the origins of Halloween originate from Celtic harvest festivals, pagan rituals, or liturgic calendar events honoring and remembering the dead, today the holiday has evolved in to a “scary” celebration of the gruesome, supernatural and horrors associated with death. I do not like horror movies and one viewing of Children of the Corn in my teen years was all I needed to stay away from scary movies. I could never understand why when an ax murderer or evil spirit is stalking one, it was a suitable time to take a shower, go to the basement, take a run in the middle of the night, or run out of gas in a cemetery. Despite my disdain for horror movies, I will watch reality based paranormal and supernatural shows. If I have a bag of Halloween candy to munch on while watching these shows, it is even more enjoyable.
The company I work for grants every employee a birthday holiday. Since my birthday is in October, I opted to stay home on Halloween day this year. I would much rather use this extra paid day from work to enjoy Halloween than take my actual birthday off from work. I had a perfect Halloween. I watched ghost shows, cooked a batch of chili, carved pumpkins, and waited for nightfall and the trick-or-treaters to appear. As usual, the pugs did their best to ruin my vibe by deciding it was their job to attack anyone who rang our doorbell. The pugs were subsequently sent downstairs to spend their Halloween where they had no access to attack innocent toddlers.
I am sad that Halloween is over, but by the looks of our local box store, we are well into the Christmas season. Luckily for me, that season includes fruitcake and almond milk eggnog so, I will move into the season and just play Christmas music. I must enjoy the Christmas holidays while I can because in a week or two, the box store will be unleashing storage containers, protein-based weight loss powders, and whatever “the new me” kick is this year. I hope you had a good Halloween and Happy New Year!
