We have always done this with our kids on Halloween. But this year, I'm trying to persuade the kids to stay home and have Family Night instead.
The bottom line is that I just don't like it, and yes, I realize that probably sounds incredibly selfish. It's always cold here on Halloween (and usually snowing) and I'm just not into making costumes either. I'm the creatively challenged parent who cringes when it's Pioneer Day at school and I have to come up with a pioneer costume...ugh. Trick-or-treating also results in massive amounts of candy, and I get really tired of my children
Last year I took them to a fall festival sponsored by a local church because it was bitterly cold and we had tons of snow and ice on the ground. It was a bust. Everyone else had the same idea and we stood in line for 20+ minutes to play a single game and get one or two pieces of candy. I gave up and took them trick-or-treating, but it was so cold they had to wear their coats over their costumes...and they weren't very happy with me, and let's just say it was a very, very long night.
I'm just curious if I'm the only one who struggles with this. Am I a total party pooper? How does your family handle trick-or-treating????
I'm hoping they'll go for my plan to stay home, make a big pot of soup, pop some popcorn and make some caramel apples, watch a movie or play games, and just enjoy a cozy fall night with our family. A little bribery might help too...I promised them each an entire bag of their favorite candy.
7 comments:
Meredith,
Your not alone. Although I have really little ones. We don't like the crowd at the church festivities and we usually go trick or treating. Since they're so small, I can ration the candy and trash the ones that aren't very good. Your family night sounds fun, and if I was them, I'd want to do it. Its a great idea and I think I'll start that when my kids get older. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!!
We have never gone trick or treating....I'm scared to, to be honest. But we love to attend our church's Fall Festival! So that's always been what we've done on Halloween. Granted, down here in lower Alabama, our festivals are outdoors with plenty of room (and lots of sweating too...yuk:)).
No children in my household but your idea of a family pm sounds really nice. Perhaps if you included some friends with kiddos, a group of you could start a new tradition.
We don't do Halloween. Joel & I decided when our oldest was a baby that we don't like what the holiday stands for. So we don't celebrate it in any way. No candy. No costumes. No "fall festivals" in disguise.
I know, I know. We're one of THOSE people. Yes. I guess we are. We don't celebrate Ramadan either but that doesn't seem to bother folks like Halloween does. I wonder why? = )
Nope, no trick or treating here either. My kids have never been. It's too cold, too dark, and I hate halloween. Mostly because some people take the scary/gory too far and wreck it for the rest of us. I hate that my kids are scared to walk past certain houses in the neighborhood--even in daylight.
We usually go out for dinner...but I love your family night idea even more. Maybe that's what we'll do this year. Plus, it's a school night...
Hey! Ran across a note in my Bible (3 John) yesterday that said "John's last Sunday, 9/28/03." Can't believe it's been that long! We miss you guys. When my girls were younger, I would take them to a few houses and then they were allowed to eat as much candy as they wanted on Halloween night. The next day, whatever was left got thrown away. I don't like Halloween either...your idea sounds great. I wish I could convince my girls to do that.
We've lucked out so far on halloween...our boys are little, so we stop by the neighbors' that we know; they love being out after dark, they love the costumes (they are both giraffes this year), and they love visiting the neighbors' houses (usually we're all out in the yards, so to knock on doors and see the living rooms seems exotic!). The grandparents come for dinner, and they give out the candy while we visit the street.
I know I will feel differently later when they want to be less wonderful things than giraffes so I will keep your idea in mind. And we've been lucky to inherit costumes until this year--this is the first time I had to buy anything because no way could I fake a giraffe!
One note on the candy: a friend has a daughter with diabetes. The little girl was horrified when she realized the implications for Halloween. Her mom made a deal; she offered her a nickel for every piece of candy, which the mom then used to fill the candy jar on her desk at work. Not only did the little girl agree, in the end, she put her nickels in her UNICEF box, because, she explained, "I just have diabetes. There are some kids in the world who have REAL problems."
That's my favorite Halloween story. May your family find peace and joy in it in a way that works for you!
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