Well, here we are, my friends. Today is October Eve! As you know, I love this time of year. I always have. If one would ask me why I wait all year for the thirty-one days of October, I would reach back into my soul and pull out the memories I have of this most beautiful month.
As far back as I can remember, October was cozy time in my house growing up. By the time my Dad got home from work, it was getting dark, and after he changed into cozy clothes, we sat down to dinner my mother had prepared. After dinner, my sisters and I helped clean up, then we all sat together in our family room near the big stone fireplace and watched TV. Sometimes I would bring out my plastic bag of random Lego pieces and set up on the dining room table, constructing a house or camper for the little Lego family to live in. A few years later, I would sit at that same table finishing my Algebra homework while my parents read the paper nearby.
On Halloween night, my sisters and I would walk the crunchy leaf-covered sidewalks of our hometown, wearing plastic masks and plastic costumes over our clothes, carrying a brown paper bag to hold all our candy. Later, as teens, our mom would help us raid her closet for scarves and jewelry when we decided at the last minute we would dress as gypsies and trick-or-treat once more. The air smelled like October, as odd as that sounds. And it felt good, safe, and cozy all rolled into one.
As a mom, my love for October grew even more. The kids and I began by decorating the house on the first Friday of October, dragging the orange Halloween tub with the black lid up the stairs and into the family room. As soon as I opened it, the distinct smell of Halloween filled the air, with Yankee Candle's Witches Brew and Trick-or-Treat scents combined. One year, I threw two little unlit votive candles in the box at the last minute, and would you believe, it still smells like that sweet Halloween smell today?
I always made a pan of brownies with vanilla icing tinted orange, and we would put in one of our favorite Halloween VHS tapes while we decorated. The kids would run up and change into their freshly washed Halloween pajamas, and we would all snuggle together and watch a favorite Halloween movie. We started planning their costume choices in July, and naturally, they changed several times before the final decisions were made. I remember the heartwarming feeling of those Halloween nights distinctly, riding in the van, Steve driving us, all my children together, plastic pumpkins in hand, listening to the same CD every single year. I remember thinking every year how blessed I was, and that this very special time wouldn't last forever.
