Falling into Halloween

This time of year is so beautiful. Leaves are turning, the air is crisp and cool, and the kids are back in school! We also know holiday after holiday after holiday is coming. The first seasonal biggie is Halloween. I know Halloween can be fun. But I happen to despise it!

Call me Scrooge a couple of months early if you will, but Halloween and the weeks leading up to it are always filled with scary images - everywhere you go. As a kid, I never really liked walking around in the dark, but did it because my friends did. By today's standards, advertising was tame. By college, I could happily ignore it. The early professional years were also a cake walk. No trick or treaters even, as I lived in a walk up. Halloween was a non-issue. Just the way I liked it. Then the kids came along in the late 90's.

As everybody knows, kids change everything. For so many years, Halloween costumes and other frightening images were always too much for my kids. All part of growing up, I know. But I'm a pretty selfish gal, and sleep is a rare commodity. I am okay with candy, commercialism, and costumes. But the children's nightmares always stole my sleep, for a bit of September, most of October, and by November each would need help falling asleep before they would wake up with nightmares. Not until the first Santa was seen was the Scream mask forgotten.

The kids are older now and sleep is restored. I'll take the pumpkins, chilly days, colorful leaves, warmer clothes and shorter days, but hold the Halloween, please.