01 October 2010

It's October - time to think Halloween!



Halloween is truly my favorite holiday. I love it. I love the cool fall air - I love the lit pumpkins (they do make everyone's house look different - haunted - on Halloween night, don't they?) - I love the sound of kid's voices on the air - the sound of leaves under everyone's feet - the smell of bonfires and apples - the promise of a hot drink at the end of the evening - the fun that even the adults have roaming the night and laughing until well past "bedtime".

I think, too, I feel that school has started (and, as a kid - I was the geek who loved that time of year - back to school - new pencil box, new haircut, new school shoes, new opportunities), which makes it a celebration of togetherness in a way. You reconnect and enjoy the cameraderie of coming together in common areas in an active, "let's make this year great" kind of way. No more passive pool gatherings - no more putting off tasks or adventures until after the summer vacation is over - it is "go time" - time to embrace those hobbies that will take you through winter - time to get home improvement done before the winter weather starts - above all, time to notice others - slow down, eat dinner together, attend sporting events and cheer friends and family on, sit outside and soak up the last bits of warm weather with neighbors, enjoy the brightly lit benefits of the Harvest Moon on nights you want to reclaim the backyard from wild summertime antics and kids.

It also sort of holds the promise of holidays to come - Thanksgiving on the way - Christmas, Hannukah. And, of course, we all have childhood memories of those holidays. Good or bad - we've done the roasted turkey, mall shopping, football games and pumpkin pie. Can't help but look forward to some of that - even if it is to begin your own traditions - try something new - vow to ski more, eat less, gather with family more - whatever.

On that night, though - THE night - Halloween - we are all united in this odd, trapped in our childhood type existence (cue spooky ghost noise). I mean, it is a night that truly separates the spooky lovers from the candy lovers. I am a spooky girl - always have been. I love ghost stories (I checked a ghost story book out in my grade school library so much that when the book wore out, they gave it to me :-) - I love witches (see my favorite coffee mug pictured here) - I would go to Hogwarts with Harry Potter and friends if I could. Oh - and don't get me started on zombies and vampires. Heart, heart, heart them all ;-). So ... like I said, while others were on a quest for candy, I was on a quest to experience something creepy, supernatural - a voice from the past - a connection with the moon, the bare trees, the wind.

Anyway - my house is already filled with antiques, old books and photos - beloved relics of the past. I love to be surrounded in bits of history - mysterious pieces of our own lives and others. So .... it makes sense then that creepy jack-o-lanterns, hanging bats and cobwebs out front will fit right in. Lil has painted an apple at "morning out" that is ready to hang - Milo bought tin pumpkin candle holders for he and Enzo to display, and.... of course, we'll make our annual trek to Harvest Valley organic farm (practicing sustainable farming :-) for pumpkins this year (and.... can't leave out the fact that Olivia is fully immersed in high school football season and attending games - hubby the Steelers). Hubby likes to do the fog machine and the wailing ghost out front, but... I like to keep it natural. In keeping with that theme, I stumbled onto a nice "green" Halloween blog post at SeededBuzz.com, so go ahead - check out this blogger's perspective here and let me / her know what you think.

Oh - and check out Serious Eats here (also my blog list) for a little bit on Pamela's in Pittburgh - somewhere hubby and I often go for breakfast - kids it tow (Olivia years ago) - great pancakes and omelettes.

First day of October! Enjoy it!

6 comments:

TKW said...

Oh, you're a Hallow-weenie! That's what we call people (like us) who adore the holiday. The girls have been planning their costumes for weeks now!

I'm a spooky girl, too, but my girls are firmly on the side of candy.

Anonymous said...

I need to figure out how to create an adult-sized "Bowser" costume. Preferably fire breathing.

Sue said...

I love Halloween, too, for all of the same reasons. I love the smell, the color of the sunlight, the earlier sunset and deadheadding the black-eyed susans in my yard. Same for the newness of the sharpened pencils, school shoes and the elusive haircut we could never schedule in the summer. Love everything "old" in my 104 year old house, my great grandfather's hand carved chest in the dining room. Definitely my favorite time of the year.

Sherri said...

Ok anonymous - I will work on one ... can't promise fire-breathing - unless you want to carry like a kitchen torch or something.

Hallow - weenie.... that's funny, TKW.

And Sue.... every fall, I have an image of you dead-heading the black-eyed Susans.... though, because I've never actually seen you do it.... my image is very Tim Burton meets Morticia Adams, which I quite like :-).

Joely said...

I agree, I am glad to be done with lazy dog days of summer pool gatherings. I look forward to hikes in Frick Park with the colorful leaves. Fall is definitely my fovorite as long as it not raining.

Facie said...

I am really craving pumpkin anything right now!

I do love this time of year. It is nice to be buried under the covers during these chilly nights. And I am so looking forward to our annual trip to the farm near my mom's to pick pumpkins and run through the awesome corn maze.

I guess we need to finally throw away the "crappy" candy stash from last year.