Halloween decorations, etc...

Halloween is coming, and I am SO excited!!! I love Halloween for lots of different reasons. The candy for one ... although, as the years have gone by I have come to learn that Easter candy far surpasses Halloween candy. At Halloween you get the same candy you can buy year round, except in smaller sizes. (Maybe with the exception of candy corn, but I don't really like candy corn so that isn't an issue for me. Candy corn's purpose, for me, is to sit in a jar and look really cute and festive on my counter.)

There were only a few houses I remember trick-or-treating to (growing up) that passed out regular size candy bars, so I decided to become one of those houses when I grew up. I did buy the bags of the little size candy bars for a long time. But I would go through about three quarters of it before Halloween night and then have to go buy more. So several years ago, I decided that I would get full size candy at Costco the day of Halloween. It cost me about the same but the kudos from the trick-or-treaters ... can't beat that! And trick-or-treaters are another reason I LOVE Halloween. (I keep my camera handy to take pictures of cute little costumes at my door.)

I have always been the one to stay home and pass out the candy too. My kids would go out with their dad to trick-or-treat. When the youngest would get too tired and/or want to start eating their candy, I was home, and they would join me while the others continued the pursuit of treats. (Mine are getting a little too old for that now, but my thought is, if kids are willing to get dressed up in costumes and roam the neighborhood gathering candy - that works for me. I don't mind if I get a group of teenagers at my door. They react the best to the big candy bars AND at least you know they will be the ones eating it, right? Not the moms and dads who sort through the littles' candy bags and keep the chocolate.)

Deciding what to be was always fun too. And for some strange reason, when my children were young, I felt like I had to make their costumes. Sometimes I would literally just make them up and hope for the best. When McCall was just a couple of months old I made her a felt strawberry costume ... then when she was two, she was so obsessed with the movie DUMBO, that I wanted her to be Dumbo. But I wanted it to be "authentic" and the pattern wasn't, so I just made it up.

And I do LOVE decorating for Halloween. Last night Sophie said, "Mom, Halloween is my favorite holiday because of the way you decorate our house."

Holiday decorating is a wee bit of an obsession in my family. We tend to go a little overboard but we justify it because it truly is like a hobby for my sisters and I. And shopping for the "stuff" together is one of the best parts.

I do plan to do more posts about Halloween - 'tis the season! Maybe I'll post some of my favorite costumes, and pictures of my sisters' decorations too ...