Happy Halloween--Kind Of

I wish I had a better attitude about Halloween, but I just don't. The only tradition that I enjoy is our pumpkin carving. Chris started it with Mark when he was very small. And every year the boys never let him get out of it. The end result is always fun to look at, but the memories of picking out, cleaning and carving the pumpkins are so much fun for all of us. The rest of the season I could completely do without.

I try to be very practical with my money. I'm not perfect by any means, but I also don't have 50 pairs of shoes, or excessive jewelry, or a separate closet for my purses. So, in saying that, it just seems like a total waste to me to go out a buy a costume just to dress up because everyone else is! Plus, it a complete pagan holiday!! I say that somewhat jokingly, please don't leave nasty comments. But in my holiday ranking list, Halloween is not as important as oh, say Christmas and Easter. The older they get the less I enjoy costume shopping with my boys--especially since their costumes increase in price as their age increases. So this year I determined in my heart to TRY being encouraging. Matthew is a bit like me, he's completely content not to dress up. But I know he's that way because he tries to please me. I don't want to ruin the memories my children carry. So we brainstormed. I was willing to spend SOME money, but did not want to eat beans and tortillas for the next month because they all bought off the chain costumes. We compromised a bit and used some stuff we had and bought the rest. The night of Halloween everyone dressed up, and we went to church to help with the family night. And as I watched the little kids coming in and looking up at my older boys with big eyes, it made me feel good. My boys were someone to be awed at. Which is exactly what I think anyway. My boys are pretty awesome, they are not average, ordinary run of the mill kids. They are children of The King. They were created with unique gifts and purposes and no one else before or since has been knit together in the same way. In retrospect, I totally enjoyed seeing them dressed up. I still don't think I want to dip into savings to pay for costumes, but this year will forever be a reminder to me that I should celebrate the uniqueness of my children. I can't wait to see what next year brings.