MONDAY MUSINGS: A CANADIAN HALLOWEEN

 

 

Hi guys!

Hope you had a fun-filled weekend and are all ready for Halloween!

My fondness for Halloween is no secret. I could be accused of being a little OTT!! As far as I am concerned Halloween can never be OTT enough!! The colours, elaborate costumes and happy smiles of children are a joy to behold. The sweet aroma of pumpkin spice candles, warm apple cider, and rich Fall foliage, fill my heart with a feeling of gratitude and abundance. And did I mention the Belgian chocolate pumpkins that come out around this time of year from Purdy’s? A proud Canadian chocolatier.

As soon as our Canadian Thanksgiving is over, I get busy for Halloween! The decorations come out gradually each day. I plan my costume, start making up treat bags and light my pumpkin spice candles. The house smells divine. We start lighting log fires in the big old grate. Outside, the wind is hurling a kaleidescope of colourful leaves into neat little piles. It’s both eerie and ever so cozy! I’m very fortunate to live close to an old spooky castle which adds a great ambience to this festive time of year!

The effort I put into Halloween is substantial, but equally the rewards are even greater. When my children were little, the joy they got from Halloween, and the generosity of neighbours when they went out trick ‘n treating, was immense. Now it is my turn to ‘pay it forward’ and do the same for other children. The look of joy and wonder on their little faces is priceless! It brings me back to those cold Winter evenings in Fort McMurray, where we were first stationed. Halloween was a beacon of light and hope in the darkness of a long Alberta winter.

Dead neighbourhoods smothered in snow literally came alive! Doors were flung wide open to strangers. I got to see what my neighbours looked like! Buckets of candy were given to our children. The fun, generosity, and magnanimity of Halloween carried me through the long dark days of winter. And soon it would be Christmas…

Thank God for Halloween. It confirms what I already know, which is that people are essentially good, and that we all like to feel part of a community — and to have fun!

Enjoy your Halloween wherever you may find yourself!

Halloween Hugs,

Patricia xxx