Happy Halloween!

Halloween has always been a fun time at our house, though I’m not sure how it all started. Maybe it was when I put a cute little costume on my oldest at just two years old and he got homemade treats from neighbors. All I know is that Aaron has always loved Halloween. He and his sister, Paula, enjoyed trick-or-treating while my youngest hated it. Don’t even try to put a mask on Jay’s face! And surprise! This child of a chocoholic mom (that would be me) didn’t even like candy!

When Aaron was in middle school, he decided to set up a “mini” haunted house in our home. He drafted his sister and me for help. We chose the hall bath to set up the tour using things we had on hand. Peeled grapes would serve for eyeballs and cooked spaghetti for brains. Neighborhood kids were ecstatic when they heard of the event. Aaron played a record on the stereo with chains rattling and scary screams for background sounds as he led the kids through blindfolded.

One by one they reluctantly took the dark tour where their hands were suddenly plunged into soggy brains and cold, peeled eyeballs. There were other surprises like walking into fake spider webs, and just as they were being led out of the room, I reached from behind a shower curtain where I hid and grabbed them. Talk about scream! Some jerked off that blindfold and ran out of the room. The kids waiting on the front porch heard the scream and were even more excited.

I’m sure you’re thinking my kids had a crazy mom and that’s probably true, but they and their friends remembered that fun Halloween forever. And thankfully, my late husband, Carl, collaborated by taking Jay, who hadn’t yet learned to like silly, scary stuff, to Sonic for a Coke.

Today, Aaron carries on Halloween traditions and decorates his house and yard with every scary thing imaginable. His kids and their friends love it. Sometimes traditions aren’t really planned, they just happen. Either way, they’re a ton of fun in the making.

Happy Halloween!