Happy Halloween from Austin Moms Blog!

As we approach All Hallows Day (November 1st), we must showcase All Hallows Eve also known as Halloween! From pumpkin carving, costumes, apple bobbing, ghosts, and goblins to candy corn, trick or treating, haunted houses, parties, and hay rides. For most, Halloween symbolizes the start of fall, the beginning of the holiday season, and an opportunity to instill our own personal childhood traditions with our own children.

For me and Vanessa, we’ve been looking forward to Halloween for some time. I remember running errands with V and stopping by Buy Buy Baby at Brodie and 71 for some sippy cups and Vanessa decided to buy Caroline a costume. Then she mentioned she found another costume she liked better, and another, and before I knew it she had outdone my 1 costume for Lincoln with a total of 4 Halloween outfits for Caroline! (Here are two!)

I picked out Lincoln’s costume from PotteryBarn Kids catalogue. I wanted him to be a Wild Thing monster. Unfortunately my sister didn’t approve so when we were shopping she picked out a cute puppy costume from PB Kids at Barton Creek Mall. I took Lincoln to my husband’s company trick or treating party last Friday and everyone thought he was a cow…. Yeah, thanks Lisa (sister).

So as you take your tiny tot or adolescent teenager trick or treating tonight, remember where Halloween really comes from as the history is so much richer and deeper than what we make of it today. Halloween really derives from the “Old Irish Samuin meaning ‘summer’s end’…it was a time for stock-taking and preparation for the cold winter months ahead.  There was also a sense that this was the time of year when the physical and supernatural worlds were closest and magical things could happen. To ward off these spirits, the Irish built huge, symbolically regenerative bonfires and invoked the help of the gods through animal and perhaps even human sacrifice.” (wikipedia) But for tonight and all Halloween nights to come lets just focus on the traditions we grew up with: playing pranks, watching scary movies, and having an excuse to find our alter ego and play dress up!

Happy Halloween to you and yours!