On The Eve of Halloween

Well the children are very excited about this holiday!  They have costumes ready and dreams of heaps and heaps of candy!  I am ready for it to be over.  It has always been my least favorite holiday, but I think I'm going to shift my thinking a little bit and focus on a different aspect of Halloween.  I am going to do more research on the Gaelic harvest festival Samhain that takes place from Oct 31-Nov 1 and commemorates transitioning from the summer.  In old Irish the word 'Samhain' roughly translates to summer's end.  I am also going to make this time a time to remember those who have passed away.   In my own way I'll be honoring the Christian festival All Saints Day.   I have built an alter of sorts with photos and candles to honor the memories of our ancestors.  Maybe by changing my focus I'll be able  to tolerate the commercialism of popular Halloween.  I think this might be N's last year going out collecting candy, n has a couple more years before she is done.  I'm looking forward to doing my research and putting a new spin on this time of year for all of my family.