Fright Fest

Dear Mackenzie,

I love Halloween because it's fun to dress up and see people's costumes. Many of them are so cute and/or creative and who doesn't like to pretend to be someone or something else for a day? And even though it's a weird tradition to go door-to-door to ask strangers for free candy, it's fun to see what goodies you have scored at the end of the night (save all of your Three Musketeers for me!)

However, I don't love Halloween because it's not fun for me to celebrate death. I don't like the morbid, creepy aspect of Halloween and I hate that I've always had to shield my kids from the blood and gore every year. Of course I explain to you that it's just plastic and food coloring and that it's all fake, but it's still terrifying for you to see it. If people want to watch horror films or walk through haunted houses, cool, fine, you do you, but I hate when the scary stuff is, say, right on a front lawn and we have to walk past it. Starting as early as mid-September, I have to start scoping out our paths and giving you a heads-up if there is a zombie, witch or werewolf lurking somewhere. If there are particularly scary decorations you don't like, we have to walk down an entirely different street to avoid it. Last week, there was a freaky animatronic demon in front of a restaurant and you tried to scramble past it so fast without looking at it that you tripped and fell on the sidewalk. When I had to return a costume to Party City yesterday, all of the Halloween displays in the store scared you so much that I had to cover your head with your jean jacket and carry you out. And even before I could do that, you had to psych yourself up because just the thought of going past the displays, even in my arms and with your head covered, frightened you that much. Good lord.

At least the Halloween decorations will be packed away soon (how creepy to have boxes of bloody severed hands and whatnot tucked into the corners of your dark basement) and we can look forward to the fun and festive Christmas decorations!

Love,

Mom