Decorating For Halloween
This year I decided not to decorate for Halloween.
The kids are grown. Most of the grandkids will only stop by briefly on Halloween night, and I remember just how hectic it was to try and get to all the places we needed to go on that busy evening…so I don’t expect them to hang out here.
Trick-or-treaters are almost non-existent in my neighborhood. Last year I had a total of eight trick-or-treaters, and five of them were my own grandkids. My house was the only one in my block with the porch light on.
As I age, decorating for the holiday becomes more and more of a chore. I used to love it, and Halloween was one of my favorites!
Really, What’s the Point Anyway?
A few days ago, I opened up the door to the closet where all of my Halloween decorations are kept…stood there looking at them for a couple of minutes..and shut the door.
“What’s the point of decorating when I just have to take it all back down in a few weeks?”, I said to myself. I called my daughter in law that lives directly behind us and told her she could borrow some of my Halloween decorations if she wanted, as I wouldn’t be using them this year.
She came in and took a few, and I took a couple of things out.
One was a velvet black cat with a witches hat that a talented co-worker made for me over twenty five years ago. So many memories with that old thing, back when my two oldest sons were just little guys.
The other decoration I pulled out was a ceramic scarecrow with a pumpkin head. I remember buying it at a little ceramic shop operated by developmentally disabled adults, and this was at least thirty years ago. My mother was with me, and she bought one exactly like it. Somehow this ceramic scarecrow survived my rambunctious family through all of these years. It deserved to still be proudly displayed.
Two decorations, and that’s it! I told my husband that was the extent of my Halloween decor this year.
Second Thoughts
Yesterday I took a client to a doctor appointment. I work as a targeted case manager with a mental health agency, and my position requires coordination of services for both physical and mental health.
As we were driving, my client started pointing out houses that were decorated for Halloween and mentioned that she loved seeing the decorations. I began talking about my parents, and how my mother continued to decorate for the holidays until her very last holiday in her home, and how special those memories were to me.
My mother continued to decorate until she was eighty years old. Eighty years old, and here I am making excuses not to decorate.
Right then and there, I decided I owe it to my parents, my children, grandchildren, and myself to get off my butt and put my decorations out.
I’ve lost some of my big outdoor decorations through the years but today I put out all that I still had. I strung the spider webby stuff around the front porch, and the entire time my back was reminding me that I’m no spring chicken..but I did it!
Once I finished decorating, a cozy feeling enveloped me immediately. THIS is the feeling I remember, often lost in the hustle and bustle of daily life. THIS is the feeling I’ve been missing lately. 🙂
So, if you know where I live.. stop by and trick-or-treat on Halloween night. I don’t care if you’re fifty years old- I’ll have some candy for ya!!
