Thomas loves
Halloween. I mean *L O V E S*
Halloween. We have been listening to our
Halloween Pandora station for almost a straight year (minus the few weeks of
Christmas music). I have been reading
Halloween books to him since July. He
wanted to decorate for Halloween in August.
Halloween is his jam all
day long.
Historically, I have not
liked Halloween. I do not enjoy dressing
up or carving pumpkins. I don’t know the
reason of my discontent for this holiday, a holiday that celebrates Heath Bars
and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (and Almond Joy bars and Snicker bars and Peanut
M & Ms). It has just been one
holiday that I go through the motions while biding my time for Thanksgiving and
my Holy Grail of holidays, Christmas.
This year I decided to
put my grumpiness aside and embrace Halloween.
I didn’t want Thomas to look back on his childhood and feel sad that
Halloween was not recognized as the awesome holiday he believed it was.
He wanted a Halloween
party.
The party he had been
planning since Christmas.
For two hours, I shepherded
25 kids through crafts, games, and the grand finale, the piñata Nathan had been
obsessed with for months. (Organizing
this event was yet another time I was thankful for education background).
We went to a Halloween
event at a local park to walk through the woods and hear Halloween stories.
We went to our
neighborhood Halloween parade.
We went to another
Halloween party.
We picked pumpkins and
drank cider and ate donuts.
We carved pumpkins.
And let’s not forget
about the classroom parties and parades.
By the time October 31stcame
around, I was burnt out. I was DONE with
Halloween. (And judging by Thomas’s wild
and emotional behavior, he may have had enough, too).
I had a cup of coffee
Halloween morning, trying to rally up some more enthusiasm for the grand
finale. I put on some Halloween music
per Thomas’s request as I quietly made chili, a tradition I created when Marie
began trick-or-treating.
As I watched Thomas
dance and march and flail to the music, I paused.
I could see how he was
feeling the music as he became lost in his joy for the beloved Halloween
music.
It was this simple
pleasure of spooky music and creative interpretation of his favorite song
lyrics that helped me gain a whole new appreciation for this holiday.
For me, part of being a
parent is celebrating what lights my children up inside. I try to put aside my personal preferences
and get excited about what excites them.
I may not have this whole
Halloween thing figured out yet, but I am going to work hard to dial it
in. It might never truly be my jam, but
seeing Thomas light about his favorite holiday (or whatever his passion may be)
is my jam.
Have you ever had to
embrace a holiday or activity that your kids love that was not your favorite?
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| That lower right picture was the riot that ensued after the piñata finally broke open. Also note, that photo of Harrington carving pumpkins was taken about 10 minutes after start time. He is always the last one standing. |
