The Great Sugar Rush is Over. Bring on the Dead and the Elves.

Wow!  I totally suck at being a blogonista!  The month of October came and went and I barely shared anything with you guys and gals.  How dare I neglect my peeps like that.  Shame on me!  Happy Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead for those of you who don't speak a lick of Spanish.  We have decided to celebrate this holiday in our house mostly for three reasons - 1) To honor the dead, 2) To have an excuse other than Cinco de Mayo to eat out at a Mexican restaurant, and 3) To create altars to honor the dead and thus (you got it) to have to shop for said materials to make said altars.  We are no way of shape remotely Spanish but any excuse to eat out and shop.  Besides, doesn't it make for a well rounded child to learn about different cultures and their traditions.  Ever though its full of skeletons and such, I like the Day of the Dead much better than Halloween.  But that's ok because Halloween is over and within seconds the Christmas decorations were up in the stores and the Christmas music blaring out of their speakers.  I love Christmas so I don't really mind.  I think that the people who complain "what about Thanksgiving" need to see Thanksgiving for what it really is: Pre-Christmas.  That's right.  It's a time when everyone in the family gets together for a big meal.  Its like practice for Christmas.  Its like a warm fuzzy reminder of all the drama you will have to endure on that holiest of nights and days.  I also think that if you wait until after Thanksgiving to put up your decorations and go all Christmas everywhere, you don't have enough time to enjoy your efforts.  Put up your decorations and do your shopping before Thanksgiving so that come the actual Christmas season, all you have to do is flip a switch and sit back and enjoy your eggnog.  Otherwise, you are rushing to get everything up and everything done and by the time you are finished, it is time to take it all down and pack it all away again.  Totally not worth it!  So I shrug off the fact that we got zero trick-or-treaters this year and pull out my Christmas cards.  I've started my shopping already because its the most wonderful time of the year!  P.S.  Just in case you didn't know, Santa is just like me.  He has OCD too.  He makes a list AND THEN checks it TWICE!  Man, I love Christmas!

Pick a Date - Any Date

Last night was trick-or-treat here in Suburbia.  Two hours of sitting with my front door open and the glass out of my screen door to pass out treats to a total of seven trick-or-treaters.  Seven.  The funny thing is that's not even a record for the fewest trick-or-treaters to come to our house.  That record stands at one.  But it was nice to pass out candy to the kids who did come to our door.  Hubby was not in a very Halloween type mood.  He was quite disappointed that trick-or-treat was not on Halloween.  To be honest, I don't get it either.  Why not have trick-or-treat on Halloween?  Hubby says that without trick-or-treat, Halloween is just another day.  He's kind of right.  Today we spent five hours total in the car to drive half way across the state of Ohio to meet my parents for lunch.  (They like to do this.  I'll expain in a later post.)  They had Halloween gifts for us and that made it seem like Halloween but that was it.  Nobody at the restaurant was dressed up.  No wishes of Happy Halloween as we left.  Nothing on the radio to lead you to believe it was a special day.  Without all of the scary stuff on television to watch, it just seemed like any other day.  Rather disappointing I must admit.  I don't know what I was expecting but I agree with Hubby.  Trick-or-treating on Halloween is just the way it should be.  A friend of mine lives in Salem, Massachusetts on the road to Gallows Hill.  Maybe next year we'll go visit her for Halloween.  Somehow I think Salem would be a little more full of the Halloween spirit.  Happy Candy Day Everyone!

Knock-Knock! Who's There?

Since I am in a Halloweeny kind of mood, I'd just like to say one thing.  I know some of you will not understand this but - I hate Halloween.  I like the pumpkins and the cute little trick-or-treaters but the rest I could do without.  I'm just not into the whole fear factor that many people associate with Halloween today.  I don't even like going to stores in the month of October because of some of the gory decorations.  Heck, I was wary of taking my daughter out to trick-or-treat when she was little.  But I'm not a total party pooper, I do buy candy and pass it out to the trick-or-treaters (all five that actually come to my house).  But let me state this right off the bat, if you are 10 years old or older and you want to come to my door and you're not wearing a costume, just forget it.  It really annoys me to no end when I have to pause The Nightmare Before Christmas and answer the door just to find a bunch of teens in sweatclothes with face paint on.  If you're not going to make the effort, why should I.  I'm thinking about buying something like toothbrushes or healthy snacks to give to these young hoodlums.  Maybe then next year they won't come back.  Don't get me wrong.  If you are in a costume, you get a treat.  Doesn't matter how old you are.  Heck, I give treats to the parents with the guts to dress up and take their children around the neighborhood.  Grown-ups like candy too.  My motto is if you're going to dress up and go door to door in the most likely cold Suburbia weather, you deserve something.  Heck, I even give treats to people at my door when its not Halloween.  Ask the Mormons.  They always leave with caffeine free soda and snacks.  I wonder if the Mormons decided to knock on your door at Halloween how would you know if they were real Mormons or just trick-or-treaters dressed up as Mormons?  Hmmmm . . .