Happy Halloween!
I love this holiday, even though I didn’t bring out any decorations this year—maybe next year. We have our table decked out with fall décor, featuring flowers and a festive tablecloth. It’s cozy and cheerful. Next year, I think I’ll decorate my desk for Halloween too!
I’ve always seen Halloween as a fun, lighthearted holiday, though some of my family members skip it entirely and go straight into Christmas decorating. That’s fine by me – I love seeing their pictures of their Christmas trees and homes all lit up. Halloween started as an ancient Celtic ghost festival, got a Church-approved makeover, then moved to America, where it ditched the ghosts, kept the costumes, and added a sugar addiction. I understand why some may believe Halloween is evil, but I still see it as a fun holiday.
Can I humor you with a Halloween history? Ok. Here goes…
A very long time ago, ancient Celts threw a big party called Samhain (pronounced “Sow-in”), which marked the end of summer and the start of “Oh no, winter’s coming.” They believed ghosts came out that night, so they wore costumes to confuse them. Basically: ancient witness protection.
Then the Romans showed up and said, “Nice festival, we’ll take it,” and added their own traditions – because Romans loved remixing holidays.
Fast-forward to the Middle Ages, when the Church tried to make it more holy and called it All Hallows’ Eve. People still dressed up, asked for food, and played pranks – so, same vibe, just with extra guilt.
Eventually, Halloween sailed to America with Irish immigrants, where it evolved into a glorious sugar-fueled chaos featuring pumpkins, candy, and inflatable yard skeletons.
And that’s how a festival about ghosts and harvests turned into a day where kids dress as superheroes and adults eat “fun-sized” candy bars that are not fun at all.
I had to look some of that up because I was having trouble remembering parts of the story.
It’s day two of the Pantry Project! Alexis kicked things off this morning by spilling paprika all over the floor. Poor girl – but at least she laughed about it. I really want to have the pantry cleaned and organized before we start shopping for Thanksgiving. Right now, there’s barely room to fit anything else in there. When Alexis cleans, she takes everything out and organizes it from scratch, which is exactly why she’s in charge of the pantry.
Oh, Alexis is taking a quick trip to Walmart to pick up a few things she wants, and Alex is driving her. He’s planning to visit his grandpa later today and might see some friends too. I’m not exactly sure what the plan is, but we’ll see.
I did some coding and studied cybersecurity today. I really like it – there’s a lot to remember, but it’s fun. The pantry is finally done, and it looks great! Alexis thought it would take five days, but it only took two.
I made the spaghetti sauce for tonight, and it’s simmering on the stove. I’ll start the water for the pasta in about an hour.
I was just thinking – would it be cool to download all your photos from Instagram or Facebook? Or is that a bit much? I mean, most of them are probably already on our phones anyway. Plus, it would probably be a ton of photos… and then where would you even store them all?
I’ve got the heater running in the office – it’s cold in here! We need to get our pellet stove fixed.
I saw Alex wearing a Halloween costume earlier. I wonder if the girls are dressing up too? Alexis got a cow onesie; I’m curious if she’ll wear that tonight.
Anyway, I should get going. Stay safe out there if you’re going trick-or-treating!
