Halloween is fast aproaching... but somehow it's been on my mind for months. I always loved Halloween as a child. I loved being scared, and the idea of being out on my own with my young friends in the dark held a magical fascination for me. (In fact, even playing outside after the sun was down in the summer seemed like a delicious treat. I loved seeing the stars twinkling overhead, the little lights in the sky winking at me through the apple tree next door. And the moon.... oh, the moon was another thing. It hypnotized me... the pale face of that every changing presence in the night... I am still completely moonstruck... and probably always will be. )
But Halloween meant dressing up in various and sundry pieces of things found and salvaged, sometimes created or purchased, that gave me a new identity for the night. I could be princess, the clown, the gyspsy, or whomever I dreamed of being. I used to lie awake for hours, dreaming up elaborate costumes.. I remember imagining myself to be a fairy, with gossamer wings and a little lighted lantern to guide me as I flitted about... sort of a take on Tinkerbell, I'm sure... Even now, I would so love to dress in shimmering light, as if I was some ethereal creature..LOL! But maybe a funny hat and a fuzzy sweater will have to do, as the frame I enhabit would be most ludicrous posing as an angelic presence. Fairies are not pictured with middle aged bodies, unless it might be the 3 in Cinderella who were doing the "Bippety Boppety Boo" chorus.... hmmm..
In the midst of all these rosy pumpkin colored dreams, I have a huge aversion to anything evil... so I shy away from any witch and devil references. I don't like to encourage children to find any attraction to things that are dark and really dangerous. I won't use them in my deccorating, and it is sad to me that the real dark forces in the world are not taken seriously. I have to keep in mind that things that some people have attached meanings to, such as black cats and pumpkins are things that God created, and not meant for evil purposes.
So I observe Halloween as a day of enjoying the good things that God has given us in the harvest time, of sort of a pre Thanksgiving time, when we can just enjoy the autumn beauty, and all the smells of the fallen leaves, the smoke from chimneys and the pumpkins piled in fields. My Halloween pumpkin smiles out on my front porch, and I ooh and ahh at all the little gremlins at my front door. I love giving out candy, and sometimes the kids are probably too old to be Trick or Treating, but it's still fun. My youngest son, Michael, is 18, and in college. I will probably not see his friends knocking on my door this year, but if they do, I'll be as excited to give them treats and comment on how they look as if they were 7 years old still. It's hard to grow up and give up those times. I remember my best friends forever :o) in school and myself, trick or treating when we were much too old. One of the guys was very tall for a 16 year old so we decided he'd be the "grown up". The others of us got sheets and cut the customary eyeholes so we could see, but instead of being straight forward about what we were doing, we would walk up to the porch of our unsuspecting victims and kneel down so we appeared to be young kids. When the door opened and the nice person gave us the candy they were offering to us, we stood up and said, "Thank you!!" in high voices, and then rushed off. I think several of them were not very amused by our tricks... I probably felt a bit guilty, at the time... but now it's pretty easy to forgive myself! I guess I knew then that it was the beginning of having to grow up. I still don't like it, and that was 40 years ago! I would still love to play outside in the moonlight..... spinning in the dark until we all fell to the ground, dizzy and laughing like we were lunatics... which I guess we were. Of course, that's pretty silly when I seem to always be watching my step and fretting so I DON'T fall down in the dark nowadays!
Well, all this to say... have a safe and unspoiled Halloween. Watch out for little kids and silly teenagers and shuffling old grandmas walking around in the dark and don't let the scary stuff, the really scary stuff take the fun out of your Halloween!
But Halloween meant dressing up in various and sundry pieces of things found and salvaged, sometimes created or purchased, that gave me a new identity for the night. I could be princess, the clown, the gyspsy, or whomever I dreamed of being. I used to lie awake for hours, dreaming up elaborate costumes.. I remember imagining myself to be a fairy, with gossamer wings and a little lighted lantern to guide me as I flitted about... sort of a take on Tinkerbell, I'm sure... Even now, I would so love to dress in shimmering light, as if I was some ethereal creature..LOL! But maybe a funny hat and a fuzzy sweater will have to do, as the frame I enhabit would be most ludicrous posing as an angelic presence. Fairies are not pictured with middle aged bodies, unless it might be the 3 in Cinderella who were doing the "Bippety Boppety Boo" chorus.... hmmm..
In the midst of all these rosy pumpkin colored dreams, I have a huge aversion to anything evil... so I shy away from any witch and devil references. I don't like to encourage children to find any attraction to things that are dark and really dangerous. I won't use them in my deccorating, and it is sad to me that the real dark forces in the world are not taken seriously. I have to keep in mind that things that some people have attached meanings to, such as black cats and pumpkins are things that God created, and not meant for evil purposes.
So I observe Halloween as a day of enjoying the good things that God has given us in the harvest time, of sort of a pre Thanksgiving time, when we can just enjoy the autumn beauty, and all the smells of the fallen leaves, the smoke from chimneys and the pumpkins piled in fields. My Halloween pumpkin smiles out on my front porch, and I ooh and ahh at all the little gremlins at my front door. I love giving out candy, and sometimes the kids are probably too old to be Trick or Treating, but it's still fun. My youngest son, Michael, is 18, and in college. I will probably not see his friends knocking on my door this year, but if they do, I'll be as excited to give them treats and comment on how they look as if they were 7 years old still. It's hard to grow up and give up those times. I remember my best friends forever :o) in school and myself, trick or treating when we were much too old. One of the guys was very tall for a 16 year old so we decided he'd be the "grown up". The others of us got sheets and cut the customary eyeholes so we could see, but instead of being straight forward about what we were doing, we would walk up to the porch of our unsuspecting victims and kneel down so we appeared to be young kids. When the door opened and the nice person gave us the candy they were offering to us, we stood up and said, "Thank you!!" in high voices, and then rushed off. I think several of them were not very amused by our tricks... I probably felt a bit guilty, at the time... but now it's pretty easy to forgive myself! I guess I knew then that it was the beginning of having to grow up. I still don't like it, and that was 40 years ago! I would still love to play outside in the moonlight..... spinning in the dark until we all fell to the ground, dizzy and laughing like we were lunatics... which I guess we were. Of course, that's pretty silly when I seem to always be watching my step and fretting so I DON'T fall down in the dark nowadays!
Well, all this to say... have a safe and unspoiled Halloween. Watch out for little kids and silly teenagers and shuffling old grandmas walking around in the dark and don't let the scary stuff, the really scary stuff take the fun out of your Halloween!
I'll be hanging out at the Above Mentioned Function tomorrow... see you there!
Blessings and warm hugs! ...and....
Blessings and warm hugs! ...and....
BOOOOOO!!! :o) (giggle)
Shar
Oh, and send me some cute pictures of your little kids, big kids and yourselves dressed up for the festivities!
Shar
Oh, and send me some cute pictures of your little kids, big kids and yourselves dressed up for the festivities!
12 comments:
Booo to you toooo- happy Halloween.
The one thing I like to tell my kids about Halloween is how happy everyone is. Watch others walk down the street smiling and chatting, laughing. It's just a really nice night to visit and be goofy.
~0~ Happy Halloween!! ~0~
Happy Halloween! Pinkie Denise
Happy Halloween! :)
Happy Halloween Shar.
Thank you for being part of the festivities!!
Constance
Happy Halloween!
Sandra Evertson
Happy Halloween, Great Post!
Angie
http://www.scrapnmomsmoments.blogspot.com/
have we danced yet...hope you're having a ghoulish day...blessings, rebecca
Beautiful thoughts..Happy Halloween to you too!! May you have many treats today and always!
Gosh, I feel exactly like you about this holiday, and I've felt like such a minority. Thank you so much for putting this into the very best words.
Thanks for sharing! I'm a day late but Happy Halloween. I went to visit half the list lastnight and half tonight. Long list...lots of party goers. Thanks for lettin me visit! I enjoyed!
You might work in the accounting field but you have the spirit of a writer. Your post was very eloquent.
I have a very different comfort zone with the "scary" aspects of Halloween, I totally dislike the whole slasher movie aspects of it and avoid those altogether. But the vampires, ghosts, things that go bump in the night - I think that we use those imaginary things to help us deal with, contain, and confront the helplessless we feel at the very real fears we can't control - war, injustice, dangerous people in the world, the fear of losing someone we love. They are "safe" things to scare ourselves with.
But as for focusing on the beauty of the season and the harvest, that was really the original intent of Halloween back in the Celtic lands that most of our American traditions originated from - it was the final harvest before the cold dark winter settled in. It's also a time to reflect back on the year that has passed and to bring our ancestors and departed loved ones into our homes and hearts and remember them. We also do a variation on Dia de Los Muertos in our family.
The costumes and haunted houses and candy treats and all are loads of fun, but I agree - the swirling autumn leaves, the magic of the night and the shining moon, the reflective spirit of the season - are the best part.
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