Confession Saturday: Halloween Edition

I confess:

~One up-side of having arthritis in my hands is that I am no longer expected to participate in carving pumpkins (sing it with me now: "Always look on the bright side of life...").

~I let my kids watch an episode of the Simpsons when I saw this link on Book of Kells.  I confess, this is the only time they've ever watched The Simpsons.  Will I let them watch it again sometime?  Quoth the Mother, "Nevermore!"

~I had to laugh yesterday when two of the teachers at Sister's nursery school passed me by in the hall at pick-up time, one saying "Happy Frickin' Halloween!" and the other saying, "I HATE Halloween!"  (Of course they spoke discreetly so the kids wouldn't hear).  I confess, I admire them for being willing to have a Halloween party for 2, 3, 4, and 5 year-olds.  If I were them, I'd charge double tuition on the day of the Halloween party.  Can you imagine helping 25 costumed two and three year-olds with bathroom breaks on the day of the Halloween party!?

~I confess, I'm a Halloween curmudgeon mostly because it means extra work for me (cookies, costumes, kids strung out on sugar for days on end).  But I do love to watch the kids have so much fun dressing up, going out at night (a rare treat), and sorting through their candy stashes.

~I confess, Halloween is one of the few times of the year when I wish I were more naturally extroverted.

~My very favorite thing about Halloween is its otherworldliness.  Long ago, some believed that the border between this world and the Other World (the world of spirits and souls) became thin at this darkening time of the year.  Some historians theorize that Halloween began as a Celtic celebration of this phenomenon (others disagree, but this is a confession, not a history lesson).  I confess, I believe these "thin places," where worlds brush up against each other, still exist if we are on the lookout for them.

~I confess, I am very excited to have a tall stack of new-to-me reading material to sink into as the days shorten and the air chills.  I will share more about this soon.

I hope you and yours have a fun and happy Halloween!