Happy Halloween or Is This Holiday Over Yet?

Halloween is not my favorite holiday. There, I said it.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Halloween! The day has finally arrived and I am ready for it! I have a cute witch canvas hanging on my front door and a few pumpkins on the stoop. Ten bags of candy are at the ready, as we have a very active trick or treating neighborhood, complete with a tractor hay ride and a roving spooky storyteller.

My kids even painted these mini pumpkins on their own to add to the festive nature of the day! Isn't Halloween wonderful?

Actually, in my opinion, no, no it is not. I have to confess that I am not a fan of Halloween. At all. I am the girl who got nightmares from scary movies, I am terrified of spiders...even small ones...and I do not like gore.

Costumes stress me out, I like dressing up, but the pressure to impress is intense and people are always trying to figure out your personality based on your choice.

It's like that line from the Sex And The City movie when Miranda says to Carrie that the only costume choices for "women are witch or sexy kitten." I frankly don't like either one of those (although I have been a witch more times than I care to admit) and creative costuming is just not my thing. 

The first year we moved into our current home, there was a high school brawl on our front lawn, complete with cops, handcuffs and an arrest. My husband and I watched, horrified, from inside while trying to keep our toddlers away from the window. Good times.

As a teen, I remember being so excited to wear the Little Bo Peep costume I had fashioned out of my white ruffled and tiered organza vanity skirt! It was so pretty, until I got into an egg and tomato fight and my ethereal dress turned yellow and orange as I was pelted by...um, my own brother.

Yeah, more good times!

I can't say that all of my Halloweens have been like this. Of course, having children of my own changed things a bit. There have been wonderful moments filled with pumpkin patches, cute costumes, candy kisses and Boo-ing houses.

Overall, however, I like cute and happy holidays, Christmas and Valentine's Day are much more my speed. I love the crafts, the décor, the shopping, the giving and the colors.

I am not really into orange and black, but if you haven't noticed, I am really into red!

Frankly, my kids feel the same way...once at the age of four, glammed up and princess-ed out from top to bottom, my daughter was trick or treating with us on our block. We were with her friends, other families, laughing and joking, albeit it was very cold, when she turned to me and said, "Why do we have to do this? We have candy at home."

Right on sister ~ obviously, apples don't fall far from their trees!

Happy Halloween!

Painted Pumpkin Craft:
Paint mini pumpkins with craft paints and adorn with large wiggle eyes. The kids added faux leaves to the red one for apple leaves, but basically let the shape of the pumpkin stem (the long stem as a cat's tail, for example) and their imaginations guide the project! Have fun!