Sunflowers are dying. It’s officially time for my annual mourning of late summer which involves decking my walls in black and scorn for light and life.
Okay, actually it’s just Halloween time.
I actually REALLY hate modern horror films but LOVE Halloween time. I love putting black bats on my wall.
(that’s an old picture. The kids aren’t allowed to help me with bats this year until their room is clean. There’s a good chance there won’t be bats this year.)
This year I splurged… like SIX BUCKS… and bought creepy fabric which I foresee as doubling as pirate decor in the future.
As a family, we’ve staked claim to Halloween and Valentine’s Day as “OUR” holidays. There’s no traveling on these days, and no family to visit. No gifts to be giving, no hosting, no candles to blow out, no turkey prep.
There’s just us and candy and cold weather.
Valentine’s Day has it’s own fun Deets Family Traditions, but we’re not worried about love right now. We’re worried about DARK AND BLACK AND ZOMBIES and traditions, of course.
We make witch hat cookies together.
We make what our kids have named Carnival Apples (a remix of “caramel” by my son who couldn’t quite wrap his tongue around saying “caramel” but “carnival” was easy as pie).
And we watch “The Wizard of Oz” which Santa brought me on Blu-Ray last year -thanks in large part to our old DVD dying in the middle of the poppy field. Cause of death: scratches. or kids. probably both.
The kids and I love decorating together, and I’m not afraid to make a mess with them. I’m not a perfect mom, but I’m perfect at letting them make messes. They help me paint jars and blocks of wood:
They help me eat chocolate and bake pumpkin seeds. We stuff pumpkins full of food and bake them and EAT RIGHT OUT OF THEM. We make homemade hot chocolate and sometimes float ice cream in it.
It’s great. I love doing stuff like that with my kids.
But I have a little after-hours secret… during this creepy month where the sun goes down earlier and earlier over wilted sunflower stems, I wait until everyone is in bed and then I stream old horror films… then laugh-cry myself to sleep.
Which of these traditions is best? ALL.
If sunflowers have to die, I’m glad October’s stepping in to fill the seasonal void.
(via Pinterest)
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