Ghosts and goblins, haunted houses and scary movies, and of course late night costume parties…throw in some utterly horrifying (or extremely provocative) costumes, and you have yourself the typical B.C. (before children) Halloween.
Halloween carnivals, fall festivals, pumpkin patches, adorably cute costumes, trick-or-treating and more candy than Willy Wonka would know what to do with – this, my friends, is an A.C. (after children) Halloween.
But who knew Halloween was actually a two week (+) event when kids are involved?
It was certainly news to me! Evites, email and Facebook invites all reminded me that I needed to have my little one’s costume ready by mid-October because that’s when the season of Halloween began in our household. We had so many groups hosting events – our church, the Early Childhood PTA, my husband’s employer, several friends, our son’s school – that I actually considered (okay and maybe bought) more than one costume.
Contributors’ kiddos – Precious!
Although I had thoughts of creating the perfect costume for my son, that went out the door within five seconds of Pinterest searching. I was quickly reminded that creativity and craftiness are not my fortes. Fortunately for me (and my left-brained self), trick-or-treating became popular in the United States in the 1930s, and with its popularity came the first mass-produced Halloween costumes.
In this day and age, the list of stores where you can find unique, fun costumes is endless! There are the usual suspects like Target and Toys R Us, but there are so many other options as well – from Etsy to Old Navy to Kohl’s to consignment stores to the higher end stores like Pottery Barn Kids – the list goes on. With all these options that make it so easy and convenient, I still see kiddos with handmade/custom costumes worth drooling over. Oh to have that kind of creativity and drive!
Now that we’re all costumed up and the actual day has arrived, I am SO excited!
My little guy is just old enough to make the trick-or-treating rounds in our neighborhood (think 5 or 6 houses max), and fortunately he’s had a few occasions to practice the art of picking up the candy and putting it in his bucket.
I have to admit though that my absolute favorite part of Halloween (even in my B.C. days) is giving out the candy. I love the excitement in all the trick-or-treaters as they approach our house with our porch light on knowing they are in store for some Halloween goodness. I love the smiles on the kids’ faces as they see me (or my hubby) take a handful of candy and drop it in their bucket/basket/sack. Oh, were you expecting just one piece of candy? Not.at.our.house! We prefer a handful!
Not that they aren’t like this every day of the year, but I love the politeness that Halloween brings out in kids as they so sweetly and joyfully approach your door requesting the ever-famous trick or treat.
Although I’m certain trick-or-treating will be a tradition in our household for many years to come, I’m excited to add another tradition to the Halloween mix. When my son gets a little older (meaning he can make it to more than 5 or 6 houses in one night), I would love him to ‘Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF.’ Although it began in 1950, I just learned of this tradition this year. There are a variety of ways kids can participate. One simple way is while they trick-or-treat for candy they can also trick-or-treat for UNICEF by requesting donations as they go door-to-door. What a great way to give kids the chance to help other children in need!
What are your favorite Halloween traditions? Do you opt for store bought costumes or the homemade, crafty variety?
We’d love to see your favorite Halloween costumes on your kids!
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Happy Halloween!
