We always had fun on Halloween when at mom & dad's house. From my earliest memories I can recall Halloween parties filled with musicand laughter. I remember scary music, dad making weird flashlight faces, bobbing for apples, and the pleasure of scaring kids and adults alike. I remember laying in my bed listening to the adults continue the festivities long after me and my older sister were put to bed.
I never learned why my dad's favorite holiday was Halloween, but I know it was.
As a child myself, I never cared much for Halloween. Trick-o-treating for a shy kid isn't much fun.
I hated the idea of dressing up in a ridiculous costume, possibly embarrassing myself, and having to knock on the doors of complete strangers for candy. Besides, I was always more of a 'salty' snack person than a 'sweet' snack person and most people gave candy instead of chips and salsa.
As a parent, Halloween didn't become more endearing to me either. A mother of eight does NOT need to deliberately give her children 'sugar highs', nor does she need to spend time or money making and assembling 8 costumes that will only be covered up by heavy coats. Having a 2 month supply of candy/sugar highs around the house isn't a good plan either. And I am know that no mother, regardless of how many kids she has, needs 4 months of subsequent candy wrappers, and sucker sticks hidden behind the couch, under the bed, and in the cupboards. Perhaps my worst Halloween find was the Bit-o-honeys stuffed down the heat registers, and stuck to the carpet in some remote corner of the house that attracted little tiny sugar ants, thousands of them.
But my dad's enthusiasm for Halloween was contagious, and thankfully my kids have all caught his Halloween fever, and not my parental negativity towards the holiday.
I was blessed to spend last year's Halloween with my dad. Sadly, it was also spent in the hospital.
He would have given ANYTHING to get out of that bed and sit on his front porch just one more time, pass out candy, and chat with the kids that stopped by his house. Last Halloween's blog
So in honor of my dad, I went to the store, bought more pumpkins and some new decorations.
Then I headed home to decorate the house and porch in a fashion that would make my dad proud.
...In the past, my older kids have been the ones to carve the pumpkins and decorate, making sure to help their younger siblings do the yucky part of cleaning out the pumpkin guts.
It was fun to watch Jacquie and Laura go through this process all on their own as all their older sisters are now out of the house.
I joined in and actually carved my own pumpkin too.
It is probably the first time I have carved a pumpkin in over a decade. And it was fun.
At Jacquie's request, I seasoned and baked the pumpkin seeds which actually taste quite nice.
I don't remember how I baked them in the past, but this batch was much better than before.
Halloween 2011, our first without dad, went okay.
I think maybe I too am catching my dad's Halloween fever.
Papo's spirit certainly lives on in and through his family.
Steppin' out with DWNTWN
DWNTWNimages.me
I never learned why my dad's favorite holiday was Halloween, but I know it was.
As a child myself, I never cared much for Halloween. Trick-o-treating for a shy kid isn't much fun.
I hated the idea of dressing up in a ridiculous costume, possibly embarrassing myself, and having to knock on the doors of complete strangers for candy. Besides, I was always more of a 'salty' snack person than a 'sweet' snack person and most people gave candy instead of chips and salsa.
As a parent, Halloween didn't become more endearing to me either. A mother of eight does NOT need to deliberately give her children 'sugar highs', nor does she need to spend time or money making and assembling 8 costumes that will only be covered up by heavy coats. Having a 2 month supply of candy/sugar highs around the house isn't a good plan either. And I am know that no mother, regardless of how many kids she has, needs 4 months of subsequent candy wrappers, and sucker sticks hidden behind the couch, under the bed, and in the cupboards. Perhaps my worst Halloween find was the Bit-o-honeys stuffed down the heat registers, and stuck to the carpet in some remote corner of the house that attracted little tiny sugar ants, thousands of them.
But my dad's enthusiasm for Halloween was contagious, and thankfully my kids have all caught his Halloween fever, and not my parental negativity towards the holiday.
I was blessed to spend last year's Halloween with my dad. Sadly, it was also spent in the hospital. He would have given ANYTHING to get out of that bed and sit on his front porch just one more time, pass out candy, and chat with the kids that stopped by his house. Last Halloween's blog
So in honor of my dad, I went to the store, bought more pumpkins and some new decorations.
Then I headed home to decorate the house and porch in a fashion that would make my dad proud.
...In the past, my older kids have been the ones to carve the pumpkins and decorate, making sure to help their younger siblings do the yucky part of cleaning out the pumpkin guts.
It was fun to watch Jacquie and Laura go through this process all on their own as all their older sisters are now out of the house.
I joined in and actually carved my own pumpkin too.
It is probably the first time I have carved a pumpkin in over a decade. And it was fun.At Jacquie's request, I seasoned and baked the pumpkin seeds which actually taste quite nice.
I don't remember how I baked them in the past, but this batch was much better than before.
Halloween 2011, our first without dad, went okay.
I think maybe I too am catching my dad's Halloween fever.
Papo's spirit certainly lives on in and through his family.
Steppin' out with DWNTWN
DWNTWNimages.me