It’s a ridiculous thing I’ve been tormented by for most of my remembered life. I LOVE a good horror movie.. a ghost story, a haunted place. And yet… it all SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME. I still can’t watch The Exorcist all the way through, and I don’t even want to be in the same house as a Ouija board…. but it fascinates me still. I kid you not… on Halloween I used to keep rosary beads and holy water on my windowsill so Vampires couldn’t come in, or at least I’d be prepared if they did. Why the fear of Vampires? I have no idea. It’s probably not wise to tell you I finished all four Twilight books in nine days… NINE DAYS!.. but.. it put a whole new spin on the Vampire thing for me, you see.
Thank you, Stephenie Meyer.
What I’m really getting at is, I love Halloween. It’s my favorite holiday, and I think it’s because we get to step out of the box. Be something, do something, dress like something different. Anything! The sky is the limit. Nothing is really expected of you on Halloween.. it’s all for fun…and Candy Corn.
This year the holiday brings with it a little sadness. My kids are beyond trick-or-treating with parents in tow. My daughter is going to a Halloween dance at her college and my son will be heading out with a group of his friends. Last year they were dressed as a wedding party and I at least got to buy him an old suit at the Goodwill store. He actually came with me to pick it out! This year I asked if I could deck him out in Zombie attire and I just got an eye roll. Alas…. the proverbial apron string has snapped.
I already miss the evening walks with flashlights in hand, crunching fragrant leaves underfoot, and the glorious smell of woodsmoke in neighboring fireplaces while the kids dart ahead from door to door to door. Is it too much to ask if I still get to inspect and raid the stash when it’s dumped on the kitchen table at the end of the night?
I'm a lover of all things scary!!! Sounds like an amazing time. The baby lobster in the pot!!!!!!Is just about the most adorable pic I have ever seen.
I saw something about that hayride on a show about Halloween Displays!!!
I am not a scary-stuff girl – the Haunted Mansion at Disney is about as Haunted as I'm interested in getting.
Oh wow… the spider!!! What a hoot he is!
Halloween is my favorite as well. No gifts to buy, no prayers have to be said, no big meal to cook, no flowers are expected, no egg dying. It's just a relaxed and fun holiday.
Oh, and aren't vampires handsome? hee hee. Love those movies.
Loved these pictures…the baby lobster is too cute! And I love Halloween too, but won't watch a scary movie even on a dare, they scare the heck out of me too! I remember when my kids stopped trick or treating…so sad! And now that we live on a small private lane without kids, we don't even get trick or treaters… 🙁
Kat 🙂
My oldest is trying to convince us to take him to a haunted farm. His friend went and his mom told us he hasn't slept alone and wants the lights on all night long… I think we'll wait 🙂
When I was in sixth grade, a neighbor classmate of mine, was murdered along with her mom, by her dad one night. It took months before I could look at the house just driving by and I refused to walk past it for years… it was a big two story house on the corner and it stood out big time…. still freaks me out thinking about it 🙂
I feel the same loss at Halloween:( I loved going around the neighborhood with the kids…I made all their costumes and every year we would have beef stew before or after. We still have the stew but it is not the same…
The grandchildren are finally old enough to be a bit interested in dressing up…this year my granddaughter insists on being the pink squid from Finding Nemo:)
Love the pumpkins over your door!
What a terrific post Karen! I miss those days of Trick or Treating with my daughter too. She stopped long ago, but I miss it still. The good news is that I dress the girlz up and take THEM to costume parties! I guess it brings back a bit of the magic!! Ben and I used to dress up and go to his daughter's house, but since they moved to the other side of the country EIGHT years ago, we don't get to do that anymore. I miss that alot. Perhaps we will find some haunted adult activities around here. I wish I was still in CT!!
I'm not good with the scary…Freddie Krueger, murder/movies…that sort of thing. They give me nightmares! Halloween signifies fall and the BIG holidays to me so I can say that I do enjoy it. Once the kids were too old to trick or treat, it lost some of the fun. I do love handing out the candy and seeing all the cute costumes. And thanks for sharing these adorable dogs and babies. Fantastic!
XO,
Janie
Oh no, not me — haunted houses – deep in the woods, uh uh. But, I do miss (like you and others) the kids dressing up although last year Hunter was Ariel (did you see that pic)? Just finished reading Sandra Brown's Smash Cut – jeepers, I couldn't sleep for two nights!!
LOVE the pie story – we live in an awesome world; the kindness is still there and is even more meaningful when it's out of the blue. I'd hug YOU if I could. 🙂
I like Halloween fine, but I still find it kind of creepy, how far some people take the decorations and the costumes. But then, I didn't grow up into it, so maybe it;s just one of those things you cannot completely get used to 🙂
Those dog costumes are awesome!!
You make number 16. I know 15 other grown adults that won't watch The Exorcist. It's one of my favorite along with both sequels and the prequel. Plus I have an entire DVD library full of things that will make you sleep with the lights on. And I read The Amityville Horror in 1 night and kept a gun in bed with me for a week. It was before the truth of the house came out. And the book started with a dozen people, including 2 nuns & a Priest, swearing an oath that every word in the book was true. The movie stunk on ice by comparison.
ps Did you see the award I gave you last Wednesday?
Kurt
And of course Halloween Knights at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire this Saturday! Extended hours until 8:00! Fire Jousts, Zombies dancing the Thriller dance, haunted hay rides…..
Luna Farmer will be there! 😉
You deserve it because I said so!!! And yes I would very much enjoy reading that book. Thank you for being, rather than just seeming to be, a friend.
I have never liked Halloween. Even since I was a kid! Probably because I cannot handle anything scary at all. I wasn't even alowwed to watch Scooby Doo Mystery Cartoon when I was a kid 'cause I had nightmares! Yep, it's that bad!
xo, misha
It's so funny that you posted this yesterday Kar. I was just saying to my friends on our hike that I had a feeling this was the last year that Michael would be with us. I fear he will want to go trick or treating with his friends after this year and that Halloween night dynamics will change! We LOVE Halloween! SNIFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Wow, Karen, you haven't watched the Exorcist all the way threw. I watched it when it came out and it scared me, but was good. I don't watch scary movies anymore. Those costumes are adorable on the dogs and babies. I will be going to see my baby if she gets to go home today. Just waiting for the phone call.
PS I can NOT watch The Exorcist! I saw the whole thing once and the second time I saw part of it, I was "haunted" for MONTHS. Can't do the Satan movies! No way, no how, not ever!
What a cute post. I sure enjoyed reading this. Yep, those apron strings are as clipped as "you know what but I ain't saying here!" I don't usually get scared. But I've always had a "thing" about the movie "The Shining."
Brenda
I actually don't have to dress up, to be scary!
Okay, Halloween is my least fav holiday. I hate the dark side of anything but, I may have to change my mind if nothing else just for the cute costumes you pictured. The wedding party idea, classic. And the babies, the lobster baby in a pot and the candy corn — too cute for words. This was a great post – I'm going back to read it again!