October, we hardly knew ye

Today is Halloween, with much excitement over here, of course. I'm resisting the urge to post a picture of the pilgrim, Indian, hippie, Lurch, Dorothy, etc... that were circulating around the house this morning or the dozens of other adorable creatures that will fill our park today, in what has to be one of the most idyllic scenes of suburbia: the neighborhood ragamuffin parade.

As fun as this is, when we come down from the sugar high tomorrow morning, October will be over. And it was a beautiful one...the leaves were spectacular, the skies so blue, the air so crisp. Wow.

But...here we go.

You can practically hear the retailers rattling their bells and whistles, getting ready to deck the halls and sell some &%#!.

You, like I, have probably already started negotiations over family celebrations- who goes where, who cooks what, who brings what.

Your kids, perhaps, like mine, have already started to compile lists of wants, desires, needs.

You may yourself, like I, have started a different list, of names, dates, plans, must be dones.

You might be, like I am, breaking out in hives at the thought of another holiday season that comes at us full force, sweeps us up, and spits us out at the other end exhausted and broke.

I really want it to be different this year.

So I've taken that "pledge" over there on the sidebar. I'm going to try really hard not to give in to eleventh hour panic, buying things they don't need. I'm definitely going to avoid anything made in China. I've started to knit some presents, bought some vintage others. I'm finding amazing, perfect one-of-a-kind things on Etsy. I'm going to shop the local craft fairs & co-ops.

I've talked to the kids about expectations, and quality over quantity. About the joy of giving something to each other that means something. (They think I'm a lot of fun...)

But, it's going to be hard. Those bells and whistles are shiny, and pretty, and summon up memories of all sorts of holidays past.

And at the end of the day, what I really want most, is for these kids to be happy. Feel loved. Grow up remembering good things. Doesn't always come easy.

So, wish me luck, and best wishes to all of you, as we stand poised on the edge of holiday madness, holiday rush, holiday cheer...holiday joy, holiday peace.

Ready or not, here it comes. Thanks for reading.

tt