Halloween Approaches! October glows orange everywhere I look. Liquid amber and pistachio trees flaunt russet-hued autumn leaves.
At the farmers markets, Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons pile high beside brilliant orange peppers or dangle temptingly conspicuous on neighbors’ trees. Fat pumpkins lie ripe for the picking in fields edging Sonoma county’s highways…slowing traffic to a crawl…as drivers watch kids scamper among the orange globe rows selecting the best Jack-o-Lantern candidate.
Halloween is the BEST holiday in our area of town with all the friendly folks coming by with their trick-or-treating kids. But along with the fun decorated houses, Halloween lights, neighborhood festivities, and cute kiddos, October is bittersweet. It marks the anniversary of Bri’s death….six years ago on October 27th. Only to be followed a few short days later by our nighttime streets full of families, laughing and chatting, strolling the dark sidewalks beside their adorable costumed kids, wee infants to gangly teens. It’s the only time of year, children can knock on utter strangers’ doors to ask for a gift without the usual caution “Don’t speak to strangers.”
Knowing Bri, I’m sure she planned her ‘escape’ this way. Bri anticipated Halloween eagerly every year. She loved kids and had hoped to be a mom. So what better way to soften the shock of our grief and dismay with darling kiddos ~ hundreds of them ~ knocking on the front door with a lilting, smiling “Trick-or-Treat!” How could we possibly forget life’s joys, sharing goodies with such innocent ambassadors of enthusiasm?!!
Trick-or-Treaters LOVE Halloween Goodies
Bill and I schedule October 31st ~ Halloween ~ to be home in the evening. We have several Halloween rituals with our own tweaks. We don’t decorate the house or put up lights. LOVE others’ efforts, but never manage to ourselves. We don’t bake for the neighbors or attend costume parties (except on rare occasions…that’s another story!).
Local businesses, even our postal workers, get into the spirit. And I wear my candy corn socks…
We do get potted porch plants and thorny roses out-of-the-way of masked, vision-impaired, Halloween visitors. We buy all sorts of treats, but NO candy (GMO sugar, toxic artificial food coloring & flavors) or junk food. Our Halloween goodies are:
- little boxes or bags of raisins or peanuts
- colorful pencils,
- temporary stick-on tattoos
- bouncy balls (little and larger)
- water balloons are a HUGE hit every year
- bright curly plastic straws
- shiny metal bead necklaces
- bright colorful plastic bracelets
- quick little toy cars, if we can find them
And ALWAYS, often just an hour or so before dusk, we carve artistic pumpkins to cast their warm candlelit-glow-welcome to guide this year’s ghouls, goblins, ghosts, witches, fairies, angels, ninjas, snow whites, princesses, mummies, puppies, and pun’kins to our door.
Have a WONDERFUL 2014 Halloween! Treasure the moment, the fun, silliness, and community spirit. We never know how many more lie ahead. Sweet Brizy…Thanks for being OUR Halloween angel. We appreciated sharing life with you and having had you here!