GETTING READY for the Holidays!

Halloween is such a great opportunity to get ready for the holidays!

• Instead of hanging stockings, kids are looking for just the right pumpkin for their house. And families are visiting pumpkin patches!
• Some are already thinking about costumes. For kids and for parents too, deciding on a Halloween costume can be like choosing a part in a play. Who will you be this year? A spooky ghost? Or a witch with a big black hat? Or maybe you want to be a Superhero or a favorite movie character.

Creating costumes together can be a way to spend time with loved ones.

Some parents teach children to sew or use everything from Amazon boxes to old curtains to outgrown clothing to make their own creative costumes.

And we haven’t even mentioned how much fun it is to carve a family jack-o-lantern! If you have little ones, you may want to get the paints out and turn them loose to draw a Halloween story on a pumpkin of their own. No carving and candles needed for them!

I wonder if families still try to guess all the trick or treaters who come to their doors? For me, that was the best part – even as an adult, the act of pretending I didn’t recognize a well-known neighbor child brought smiles to their faces every time as they fooled me again! You couldn’t pay for that kind of fun.

In recent years, churches have prepared for Halloween by hosting “trunk-or-treat” events, providing a safe and fun environment for kids to enjoy the holiday. Some families view these events as an opportunity to talk about the needs of the community with their children, even as they stock up on favorite treats!

It’s going to be a fun time as we move closer to Halloween and allow ourselves to enjoy this unique season of preparing for the holidays. So many magical times to come!