Emily's Book of Me: The Book of Me, Prompt #9: Halloween

31 October 2013

The Book of Me, Prompt #9: Halloween

Halloween has always been one of my very favorite holidays. My family celebrated it every year by decorating the house, carving pumpkins, dressing up in costume, and, of course, by trick or treating around the neighborhood. My mom probably wouldn't describe herself as a 'crafty' person, but she did a pretty good job of making some of our costumes. My dad was elementary school administrator and he dressed up just about every year for his kids at school. When I was a teenager and past the age of trick-or-treating, I used to take my younger siblings out around the neighborhood, OR I would stay at home and pass out candy so that my parents could take the younger ones. Even today, I really enjoy staying back at home and being able to say 'hi' to ALL the neighborhood kids and see what they are dressed as.

Halloween 1984. I was a ghost and my brother was a Ghostbuster

Carving pumpkins with my family, 1990

Since my childhood, it has become larger and much more commercial, but I don't mind too much since it means more fun opportunities for my own children. Our Children's Museum has a wonderful non-scary 'haunted house,' and many zoos have Halloween festivals throughout the month of October. Local schools and churches also have 'trunk or treat' events in which people 'tailgate' in a parking lot while the children go around collecting goodies. Halloween is wonderful at bringing neighborhoods and communities together in a way that is so much fun for children. And the act of dressing up and role-playing is just SO great for kids' imaginative development; we actually have a 'dress-up' bin on our basement where all of our old Halloween costumes go. I encourage the kids to play dress-up all throughout the year - not just at Halloween.