One of the things that could make you crazy is decorating and “getting ready” for every flipping holiday that comes along. While I do like Halloween I do not go crazy with the “getting ready.” I remember when getting ready meant carving your pumpkin and making sure you had a candle for it. Now people have pumpkins hanging from trees like ornaments. Really? Halloween ornaments? And ghosts….and corn stalks….and webs…and lights…..and, and, and…. I am glad there are people who get into it but it puts the pressure on the rest of us losers who just want to carve one pumpkin and hand out candy.
As a side bar….When we were at Disneyland one of my favorite rides in the past had been the haunted house. Not so much now. I never understood “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and that is what the whole thing is about now. What they may have there is a good idea though. Why not decorate for Scary ThanksMas? It would save me a lot of frustration and time. The season is a full 2 months long, it would save time putting stuff up and down and I would have less to store. Just saying…..ponder that one.
We try to make it to the pumpkin patch each year. We take the dog and the kids out to Sauvie Island and do all the pumpkin patch stuff; hay rides, barrel cow ride pulled behind a tractor, pet the animals, corn maze, get a few decorative gourds, and a few pumpkins to carve. I think there is only one year where we haven’t made it out there. I know last year we went when I had the flu. It was a mission of love to take the kids out there. Bob was out of town and I was dying but nooOOOooo…. We had to go to the pumpkin patch. What was I thinking?
This year we added in a trip up to mom and Ed’s house. They have a very sweet neighbor, Pat, who grows pumpkins and then Ed and Pat carve each one of their grandkid’s names and all the names of their neighborhood’s kids into pumpkins. It’s really cute. It was a fun trip but again, this takes time.
In past years we have procured pumpkins for each of the kids and me. We clean them out and carve them. Of course this means I end up carving 4 pumpkins because the kids lose interest. We put decorations up outside. Not a whole lot but we have some blinking lights with scary noises, a small smoke machine, a spider web (or two) and a few spiders. My favorite part is decorating the front window. I make a haunted house cut out and the kids do the rest. They make pumpkins, Frankensteins, ghosts, witches etc. They are all very cute. Coulter is more into making lots of stuff while Sophia is more exacting. Kees is more of a pumpkin man. I cut ‘em out, he decorates ‘em. This takes about an hour or two.
All total we spend about 2 hours decorating, a couple hours carving and maybe 3 hours at the pumpkin patch and this year 24 hours up at mom and Ed’s. And the coup de grâce, Spookarama at the kids school last Friday night. This is a quintessential NE Portland school event. There are games, a cake walk and this year there was even a haunted house. It’s not that all that is a ton of time but it’s just more stuff to do. Life gets so busy that it’s hard to add stuff to the daily and weekly regular schedule. We have horse, soccer, art classes and mad science. Soon, soccer ends but basketball will take its place. It’s a never ending list of stuff to do. And just as soon as all the stuff is put up it’s time to take it all down again just so we can decorate for Thanksgiving. I feel like we have done a fair amount of preparation but is it the right amount?
Yesterday we had a lazy day. We were all up until midnight on Saturday at a party. Then we all slept in. Bob and I watched a lot of football and the boys played and watched movies. Sophia was at a friend’s. It was great fun for all and very relaxing. In the late afternoon I said, “We haven’t carved pumpkins yet.” And there was a collective, “oh.” Not a single one of my kids thought that carving pumpkins was that big of a deal. Really? Here I was thinking, “Bad mom.” My kids were thinking, “No biggie.”
I am still a bit conflicted. I can’t believe we won’t have a pumpkin carved. After I drove the kids to school I considered going to get a pumpkin and carving it. But then I thought, “If they don’t care why do I?” I don’t know. I like tradition but it makes me crazy having to do all the stuff. I am not going to carve a pumpkin but I feel a bit guilty about it. I know that is ridiculous but I do. I can’t remember a Halloween where I haven’t carved a pumpkin…until now. I will have to let it go….maybe….I don’t know….sheesh.
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