As October winds down, we are just days away from Halloween. Yippee. I think. Tell me again, what are we celebrating, exactly?
I have long nursed conflicting feelings about Halloween. At least most major holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, 4th of July – have a purpose. When those days roll around, I know what I am celebrating.
Halloween has always been more of a challenge for me. Somewhere between the ancient Celts, early Romans and modern day Americans, things seem to have gotten rather mixed up. Are we honoring our ancestors or hiding from malevolent spirits? Are we giving thanks for a good harvest or preparing for a dark and dangerous winter?
Over the centuries, the three-day combo of “All Hallows Eve”, “All Saints Day” and “All Souls Day” made October 31st through November 2nd a religious event for Christians; but to be honest, I am a Christian who never found any religious significance in Halloween. At least, not as it was celebrated in my neighborhood.
Maybe it really is all about the chocolate.
From my children’s perspective, Halloween exists for trick-or-treating. Some attention must be paid to acquiring (or creating) the perfect costume. And as they get older, it becomes important to recruit friends with whom to roam the neighborhood, rather than have Mom lurking at the end of each driveway. In the end, though, it’s still about the chocolate.
Gluttony. Sugar addictions. Tooth decay. Oh my.
Before I let my inner scrooge take over completely, let me say that I have finally decided to have some fun with Halloween.
Why?
Well, why not? I am giving in. I am going with the flow. I am surrendering to the magic and the mayhem.
Sort of.
It is getting colder by the minute and we seem to get three days of rain for every day of sunshine. We could use some autumnal enjoyment. But I am not going to try to teach my children about the ancient Celts and their holidays. Maybe another time.
And forgive me, but I am not going to try to link costumes and pumpkins and candy to our family’s religious observance of “All Saints Day” and “All Souls Day.” I am still struggling with that myself.
Why do we celebrate Halloween?
In our family, we will simply welcome Halloween as a part of the end-of-year holiday season. We will, indeed, celebrate the harvest and prepare for winter.
We will treat Halloween as a pre-cursor to Thanksgiving, and celebrate all the autumn traditions that should be attached to that holiday, except that we’ve put it so darn late in the calendar that it is too cold for most of them.
We will have some fun.
Our focus will be on traditions that include active participation, healthy foods and family togetherness. And so, without further ado:
My 5 Favorite, Candy-Free, Family Activities for celebrating the “Halloween Season”
1. Apple Picking
We’ve made two trips to our favorite local orchard this year – one in September, for the early Mac’s and Cortland’s, another in October for everything else. The boys love to pick apples fresh from the tree. Our orchard always has hot apple cider and fresh donuts ready to eat, as well. (I guess that’s why it’s our favorite.)
Now it is time for apple pies, apple coffee cakes and fresh apples for snacking. Maybe we’ll indulge in some “bobbing for apples” on Halloween. Just for fun.
Did you pick too many apples this year? Check out this fun shrunken head activity from Martha Stewart.
2. Pumpkin Carving
We will be heading out tonight to select our pumpkin collection. When the boys were younger, they used to enjoy painting scary faces on their pumpkins. Now, they love scooping out the innards, making as much of a mess as possible. With supervision, they are able to carve the faces themselves.
I get to take pictures and clean the pumpkin guts out of every nook and cranny in our kitchen.
3. Backyard Bonfires
Okay, I don’t really do bonfires. But I can toast a mean marshmallow, over the flames in our backyard fire pit. It’s a nice way to spend an evening, now that the sun is setting early and it’s dark by dinnertime.
If it’s extra chilly, fill up a thermos with hot cocoa or mulled apple cider. Maybe sing a few campfire songs.
Maybe not.
4. Create-Your-Own Costumes
We were pretty much ready to skip trick-or-treating last year. I was really focused on healthy eating practices for our family and didn’t want the candy around. At the last minute, I just couldn’t bring myself to make the boys skip all the fun. So with about an hour to spare, we started diving into closets and drawers, looking for costume options.
You know what? It was great. The boys patched together all sorts of mismatched articles and made the best costumes ever. One was a mutant ninja panda and the other a Jedi tiger, but making the costumes was the best part of the evening.
This year, we are planning on another last-minute costume dash. We will be buying nothing in advance and we will be as creative as possible. I can’t wait.
5. Make it a Social Occasion
Halloween night doesn’t have to be a mad dash from house to house, dragging a bulging pillow case of sweets behind you. Make it a time to connect with friends and family. If your child’s friend is coming over to join them in some trick-or-treating, invite the parents as well. Host an easy buffet dinner with healthy food options that will fill the kids up a bit before hitting the candy trail.
Enjoy!
Bonus Activity: Family Dinners
Autumn is the season of nesting. We all start to feel the urge to hunker down under a warm blanket in front of the fireplace. Maybe call a friend, or family member that we haven’t been in touch with for awhile.
Autumn is also the season for comfort foods. If you’re coming off of a busy summer and just finally getting all the back-to-school chaos behind you, maybe it’s time for some good, old-fashioned Sunday dinners.
Roast a turkey. Test out your new stuffing recipe before Thanksgiving.
Invite your sister and her kids over. We’re good company.
Related Posts:
Get warmed up for the holiday season, with "A Season of Thanks and Giving."
Turn your family dinners into something special. Check out "5 Ways to Boost Your Child’s Self-Esteem with Mindful Eating."
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