Wow-it's been almost a week since my last post! That's a first since I started blogging. I set a "one-post-a-day" goal for myself last December and I've come very close to achieving it. I obviously have some catching up to do this month.
This year, Halloween found us in Austin with my brother Neil and family. We had a fun--though very short--weekend. The highlight for me this year was Mia and Grace's choice of costumes. They both wanted to go as saints. Grace was St. Rose of Lima and Mia was Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. To give a little background to this--Chris and I have met several families over the years who require their children to dress as saints for Halloween in honor of All Saints Day. We have liked the idea but never took the path of requiring our children to be a saint for Halloween. Practicing the Catholic faith in its fullness can sometimes be challenging, and we haven't wanted to add to the difficulty or restrictions. Of course, we still have guidelines for costumes--nothing gory, gruesome or immodest will pass inspection. So, we've had gypsies, pirates, characters from popular stories, princesses and fairies. This year though, Mia and Grace wanted to be saints. All on their own, with no prompting. This was one of those "aha!" moments I've talked about because we saw the fruit of one of our parenting principles. We gave them freedom to choose and they used that freedom to choose something we would have wanted for them*. A beautiful thing. It was a bit of a hassle because I didn't have anything to pull out of the dress up box for them to wear. My friend Misty made Mia a beautiful skirt though and Grace was fine with a very simple costume. They were both adorable little apologists as they explained several times who they were supposed to be.
I have to admit, I was a little bothered by Halloween this year. When I was growing up, it was a one day celebration. My brothers and sisters and I pulled together costumes from things we had at home, took our pillowcases and walked around the neighborhood where we would receive one piece of candy per house. These days, Halloween is like a little Christmas with all of the lights, decorations and enormous amounts of money spent on costumes and candy. I even saw a gingerbread haunted house this year. It makes sense to celebrate Christmas as a season because of its meaning. It makes no sense to do the same thing with Halloween. So, at the end of our weekend, I felt a little hollow inside. Yes, we had fun but because of the fuss around the 31st, but we didn't do justice to the beautiful feast of All Saints--a day when we remember all the saints and angels in heaven.
I think maybe next year, we'll make a bigger deal of All Saints Day. We'll still celebrate Halloween--as animals, hippies and saints--but put it in its proper place.
*This is the beauty of God's gift of free will.
I also have to give credit to the families we know who focus on the saints and All Saints Day. I think it was important to give the girls the freedom to choose their costumes but if we hadn't educated them about the saints or provided them with playmates who also know and love the saints, it never would have occurred to them to choose those costumes.
GETTING READY
Neil went as a Beach Body coach--not much of a stretch
TRICK OR TREATING
THE TRADITIONAL HALLOWEEN DONUT GAME
Ella's second outfit
One good way to celebrate All Saints and All Souls Day is to talk about the connection of the entire Church between the Church Militant, the Church Suffering and the Church Triumphant. The weekend did feel like 5th gear, but the fun thing about the feast day {well, I guess this could apply to any teachable moment we want to create with our kiddos} is that we can talk about it over dinner prior to/and after and encourage our children to share what they *do* know and the things they *want* to learn.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post - this is the one holiday I have never really *gotten* or done much to celebrate, so having you guys here was a good excuse to do things differently. :)
WOW - Dustin has been preaching this past month (well since the Halloween blow-up yard art has hit the front yards) about how commercialized Halloween is. Like stick a jack-o-lantern on your porch, make a scarecrow and some paper chains and be done with it. I even heard a lady in HEB telling the clerk that she "wasnt from here" and "didnt know that Halloween was such a big deal." It's not. Well, the fact that its the "Holy Eve" of All Saints Day makes it a big deal, but the haunted houses, blow-up monsters and fake spider webs thrown half-hazardly on front bushes do not. I love getting dressed up (or dressing up my little protege) and parading around asking for a treat; I love orange pumpkins everywhere; I love that black kitties are welcome to hang around; I love pumpkin-scented candles everywhere you go.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, glad you guys had a good one. The doughnuts looked delicious. Can you tell I'm ready to eat a house right now? :)
yay for your girls!
ReplyDeletebeing a Celt, myself, I feel the need to stay away from the scary monster thing, because of the Druid tradition behind it of tricking the dead that come to roam the earth. Keep it Catholic.. keep it Christian.
never saw the doughnut thing before. but, hey, any excuse to eat a doughnut is a good one. ;o)