I never posted anything about Halloween because it was such a traumatic event. Who would have thought dressing up and collecting candy could produce so much drama? One of our children participated with flying colors. One of our children wanted the candy, but wasn't thrilled about wearing a costume. And our third child wasn't interested in a costume OR the candy! But I am now recovered and willing to talk about it -- three months later.
We don't put much emphasis on Halloween. Usually, it is just fun to let the little ones decide who (or what) they want to pretend to be for an evening and visit family. It isn't a monumental day, and we don't bring home massive amounts of goodies. And it is enough.
This year, I asked the kids what they wanted to dress like for Halloween. Megan wanted to be a cat -- easy enough! Emily just couldn't decide (translation: I want the candy without the costume!). And since Eli is really too young to understand what is going on, and he gave me plethora of different response. So I took the liberty to find an adorable monkey costume for him. He loves Curious George, so I thought it was perfect. We tried it on. It fit. It was adorable.
So, Halloween comes. Matthew and I decide to take the family to Quincy to trick-or-treat in the mall. it was cold and I am not built for cold. So, one-stop trick-or-treating sounded good to me!
Megan jumps into her costume and lets me paint her face. That's the way it's done!
Emily still can't decide what to be. So she decides to be a farmer. Blue jeans, plaid shirt, boots and a chore bucket. Good enough!
Eli refuses to wear his costume. He is NOT going to be an adorable monkey with a long tail. My heart is somewhat broken, but I am relieved that I got a good deal on his costume. So, we decide on Bob the Builder, and he wears a hat and carries his toy tool box and tools. He can surely do that much to collect a bucket full of pre-packaged treats! I think to myself, he'll surely love trick-or-treating once he figures out that he is going to score some candy!
We drive to Quincy. We wake the little man. He is less than thrilled about the whole inconvenience. The girls are anxious to collect candy. Eli could care less. He walked through half of the mall collecting candy, then rode in the stroller, completely uninterested in this meaningless tradition.
Well, the evening could've just ended with us driving home. But we were all hungry and it would be late before we got home. So, we all decided that a bucket of KFC sounded good. All was going well until Eli vomited all over our booth. No fever. No warning. Just me with a lap-full of puke.
Why in the world was I disappointed? We have never made a big deal about Halloween, but I wanted everyone to have so much fun. I wanted everyone to wear the cute little costumes and to take an album full of photos. But, in the end, who cares?
The truth is that I lost sight of what was important. I forgot that spending time with my family and making memories is more important than having a picture-perfect day. I got tied up in the silly details. I forgot that my desires are not necessarily the desires of our little people. I ended up disappointed.
And I learned a lesson.
Next year, it doesn't matter to me if we don't go trick-or-treating. I would be just as content spending an evening playing games or popping popcorn and snuggling in warm blankets on the couch watching a movie. I would love to hand out candy, if anyone stopped by.
I will not be disappointed, because what everyone else is doing does not dictate what we should do. What we have done in the past does not determine what we do in the present or what we will do in the future.
Lesson learned -- through a memorable experience!
So, here is our only willing participant from Halloween 2013. And, if you know anyone who could use a size 2T monkey costume -- super adorable -- let me know!!!
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