Thumbs down on Halloween

Written by Eileen Wacker

We are still in the middle of back to school nights, sports are ramping up and homework is starting to roll in. I feel like I’m losing time because every store I go into already has Halloween decorations and candy. Since I have four kids, I really love and embrace holidays as a chance to celebrate and create happy childhood memories.

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I’m going to make a confession. I don’t like Halloween. Orange and black with a hint of green don’t go together for me as a kid color palette. They are perfect for a tiger. Too harsh and scary for little kids. And I don’t like pumpkin carving at all. There are tools for sale at every store and almost every classroom across the U.S. holds a pumpkin carving event. My son summed up the insides of a pumpkin quite correctly, “Pumpkin guts are gross!” Ninety percent of the mush gets thrown away and then the trash smells. Room moms count on dads taking a half day off to come in and help carve the pumpkins. The kids are not carving them. So the dads either ask the mom to fill in for this gruesome task or enter into a massively competitive pumpkin carving war with each other.

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The night of Halloween, my children attempt to collect massive amounts of candy. I don’t mind the sweets. And, there are two elements of Halloween that I adore. I love homemade costumes and that my child can be anyone he wants to be for that day. I also love the ‘pause for humanity’ when a porch light on signifies an individual is behind his or her door waiting with a smile, compliment and a treat for every neighbor or stranger who knocks. I also find Jimmy Kimmel’s annual video of children’s responses to their parent’s telling them they ate all of their Halloween candy to be hilarious.