My parents just sent me a picture of their pumpkin, a huge, bright orange beauty, and my brother responded with a Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin meme, and I was thrust back in time to Halloweens past. I really miss Halloween. We weren’t unusual in our celebration: we would carve a pumpkin, cutting into the thick orange flesh with a massive knife, scraping out the guts and separating them from the seeds, which my mom would then roast (the best snack ever.) We would watch the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown special, and listen to spooky music records. (Remember the weird one about
I always loved Halloween as a kid and used to as an adult. One of my favourite memories when I was in high school was actually doing make-up for my older brother who was going to a Halloween part as road kill - I did up his face as a skull, which was so much fun! As an adult, we did do decorations and hand out candy. But I haven't been into it anymore since my dad died around this time 4 years ago. I just get that sadness around this time and don't feel the joy I used to feel in decorating and giving out candy and seeing the fun costumes. Maybe one day I'll get back into it again.
Halloween for me as a kid was always a little confusing. I never knew with which parent I'd be that night. Neither of their neighborhoods ever felt like mine. I don't remember ever picking a costume; miraculously I always had something to wear that wasn't my normal clothes, though.
When I was eleven, I thought it would be cool to decorate the house for my five year-old sister. Out of cut garbage bags and white string, I made ghosts and spiderwebs and innocent, spooky magic. In creating the Halloween I thought she'd love, I found perhaps the first glimmer of the joy of Halloween.
In our now family of five, we've had all sorts of traditions over the years that have been a delight. But even the ones that were fixtures have begun to wane a bit. We didn't make it to Pumpkinfest or our neighborhood's little celebration, this year, because life is too busy. Now my oldest considers trick-or-treating with friends instead of her brothers, there's less enthusiasm for the family costume theme, and I took not one picture the night we carved pumpkins. (They were pretty epic, though.)
I think some of the magic has left us. Or maybe I'm just too tired for it this year.
But now I'm left contemplating. Maybe I'll throw on my Chewbacca costume and mask to pick them up at tutorial today while the chili simmers at home. Maybe I'll plug in the blow up ghosts and put up a few bats on the windows and doors like I've been meaning to for the last month. Maybe I'll let them count candy while the Great Pumpkin plays, yet again, with no concern for how late we're all in bed tonight.
Because maybe, when I think, "I'll just do the things I meant to do this year, next year," I remember: this is it and it's the only one I'm guaranteed.
I love, love, love Halloween, but here is the funny thing. I decorate sparingly, and I don't carve a pumpkin, but my husband and kids do. (I used to carve a pumpkin but would spend my time helping the kids and then end up carving by myself at the kitchen table. This year they didn't need me, so maybe next year I'll resume carving.) I don't even dress up. But Halloween reminds me of being a kid. When life was a little less intense. And candy was king. As the second oldest of six kids, I trick or treated until I was 21 with my sibs. Even coming back from college specifically to take them. My mother still hates that I invented a gambling game using Halloween candy that allowed us to get better candy or lose it all. One year I had to give back all the candy I'd won from the youngest sibling. She was always the spoiled one!
I used to be when the kids were little. We would do it all: carve, dress up, bake, and hit as many NYC apartments as possible. It was a lot of fun. Now, not so much anymore.
On a different note, I just read your newsletter. 👏👏👏 You wrote, revised so much this year. So great! And I can't wait to learn more about the next standalone.
I remember making sure your costume could fit over your snow suit. Originally from Colorado it always makes me laugh. Doorbell is a little slow tonight. Chilly in Missouri.
I always loved Halloween as a kid and used to as an adult. One of my favourite memories when I was in high school was actually doing make-up for my older brother who was going to a Halloween part as road kill - I did up his face as a skull, which was so much fun! As an adult, we did do decorations and hand out candy. But I haven't been into it anymore since my dad died around this time 4 years ago. I just get that sadness around this time and don't feel the joy I used to feel in decorating and giving out candy and seeing the fun costumes. Maybe one day I'll get back into it again.
Halloween for me as a kid was always a little confusing. I never knew with which parent I'd be that night. Neither of their neighborhoods ever felt like mine. I don't remember ever picking a costume; miraculously I always had something to wear that wasn't my normal clothes, though.
When I was eleven, I thought it would be cool to decorate the house for my five year-old sister. Out of cut garbage bags and white string, I made ghosts and spiderwebs and innocent, spooky magic. In creating the Halloween I thought she'd love, I found perhaps the first glimmer of the joy of Halloween.
In our now family of five, we've had all sorts of traditions over the years that have been a delight. But even the ones that were fixtures have begun to wane a bit. We didn't make it to Pumpkinfest or our neighborhood's little celebration, this year, because life is too busy. Now my oldest considers trick-or-treating with friends instead of her brothers, there's less enthusiasm for the family costume theme, and I took not one picture the night we carved pumpkins. (They were pretty epic, though.)
I think some of the magic has left us. Or maybe I'm just too tired for it this year.
But now I'm left contemplating. Maybe I'll throw on my Chewbacca costume and mask to pick them up at tutorial today while the chili simmers at home. Maybe I'll plug in the blow up ghosts and put up a few bats on the windows and doors like I've been meaning to for the last month. Maybe I'll let them count candy while the Great Pumpkin plays, yet again, with no concern for how late we're all in bed tonight.
Because maybe, when I think, "I'll just do the things I meant to do this year, next year," I remember: this is it and it's the only one I'm guaranteed.
I love, love, love Halloween, but here is the funny thing. I decorate sparingly, and I don't carve a pumpkin, but my husband and kids do. (I used to carve a pumpkin but would spend my time helping the kids and then end up carving by myself at the kitchen table. This year they didn't need me, so maybe next year I'll resume carving.) I don't even dress up. But Halloween reminds me of being a kid. When life was a little less intense. And candy was king. As the second oldest of six kids, I trick or treated until I was 21 with my sibs. Even coming back from college specifically to take them. My mother still hates that I invented a gambling game using Halloween candy that allowed us to get better candy or lose it all. One year I had to give back all the candy I'd won from the youngest sibling. She was always the spoiled one!
I used to be when the kids were little. We would do it all: carve, dress up, bake, and hit as many NYC apartments as possible. It was a lot of fun. Now, not so much anymore.
On a different note, I just read your newsletter. 👏👏👏 You wrote, revised so much this year. So great! And I can't wait to learn more about the next standalone.
We did it. We carved the pumpkin and he’s adorable.
I remember making sure your costume could fit over your snow suit. Originally from Colorado it always makes me laugh. Doorbell is a little slow tonight. Chilly in Missouri.