Updated October 2023

I suppose I should do a post about Halloween.

I sound thrilled don’t I? I’m really not a Halloween person, it just seems like a lot of work for tiny pieces of chocolate, most of which you don’t actually like, you just eat because they are there.

I know, I know, kids love it. And I’ll admit for little kids it is adorable but after they are about 9 it’s not cute anymore. Call me the “grinch” of Halloween, but the novelty of it wears off pretty fast when you teach middle school.

I never really liked Halloween as a kid either. I went trick or treating, but it always felt weird. And let’s be honest, it is weird. Getting dressed up, going to strangers houses in the dark, knocking on their door and asking for candy. Its drilled into kids not to take candy from strangers, but on Halloween let’s throw that out the window and hope for the best.

And when I got past the age of going out, I handed out candy. Which I disliked just as much. I don’t want people ringing my doorbell asking for candy. I want to sit inside and read a book or clean the house or just be left alone.

I guess my introvert is really showing, maybe I should tuck that back in.

I’m Not a Halloween Mom…

But it’s not just the trick or treating. I don’t like the decorations. All the scary stuff, ghosts, scary pumpkins etc. The world is already a scary place, why do we have to display it on our front porch? And don’t even get me started on horror movies. As a mom, I have enough reasons to wake up in the night without my TV choices encouraging it.

Anyway, I’ll stop complaining because Halloween is happening whether I like it or not. And while we won’t be carving pumpkins (I’m not touching my fall porch display), I will dress up my kids and head around our neighbourhood.

Or I will try to anyways. My boys have minds of their own and it may end up being a fight. Mostly with each other, trying to climb up steps first or waiting for the smaller one to toddle along to the next house. We’ll see how it goes.

We didn’t do trick or treating for E’s first Halloween, he was too young. Plus there was snow on the ground and with Covid, well things were just up in the air. I did dress him up as a lion, took some adorable pictures and let him crawl around. It was so cute.

For his second Halloween (when he could walk), I got him a fox costume. I thought about doing the Fox & the Hound but our “hound” gets a little too excited and might try to go into people’s houses, or knock the fox off the porch. So just the fox went Trick or Treating, to simplify things. Our neighbourhood was mostly older, retired people so they loved his little costume.

Last year it was a construction worker and the return of the lion. It also poured so everyone got soaked. E loved it and wanted to keep going but we packed it in early because walking around in the rain gets old really fast.

The thing I did like was the whole neighbourhood being out and about. Many of our neighbours had big displays and sat in their garages to hand out candy. It didn’t feel like such an awkward walk around the block getting treats when their was such a sense of community.

I wish that could be the focus of Halloween; communities and neighbourhoods coming together as a safe place for kids to enjoy a fun evening. Having little displays set up in their driveway so it’s easier for kids to come and go, rather than trying to scare them. And parents waving hello to fellow parents and smiling at all the cute costumes.

Unfortunately, that’s not where the emphasis is so I continue to not be a Halloween mom.

So, as we sit and watch Halloween bake off challenges, I pause whenever I see the Christmas commercials come on and nudge my husband. Halloween is almost over and Christmas is coming (a holiday I can really get behind).

I will enjoy the evening of trick or treating because it will be an adventure for my boys and I’m not going to dampen their mood.

It’s also a good time to say silent prayers for my neighbours as we walk up and down our street.

If you love Halloween and go all out, I hope you enjoy the day! And if you are like me and cringe a little when you hear the word, it’s almost over! But regardless I hope you enjoy your child’s costume and take too many pictures because it’s worth the memories. And hopefully you don’t have dentist appointments booked the following week! Happy Halloween 🎃 🦺 🦊 🐶 🍬

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