I survived another holiday

Even though holidays break up the monotony of 5 days on-2 days off, it disrupts the groove and familiarity of a week that I've come to enjoy. There are some holidays, however, that afford you the luxury of stopping everything else in your life in order to celebrate the occasion and spend time with friends and family. Halloween is not one of those days. In fact, it is one of those holidays you are required to celebrate on top of everything else you have going on. No day off, no long weekend, no setting aside responsibilities, nothing. Also, Halloween isn't just one day, it's October 31st plus the several weeks leading up to it when you have to put out the decorations, coordinate the perfect costumes, carve up a large, seasonal vegetable, and purchase thousands of calories of confections to give away to strangers. It's a boat load of extra work to celebrate something that has nothing to do with Jesus, love, or the good ol' USA.

There are some good points to Halloween that I can't deny. As a parent, something that brings joy to the heart of a child and puts a genuine smile on his face is something worth sacrificing for (unless it has something to do with Barney or the most current pop star or fashion trend). The expressions on the faces of my children every time they donned their costumes and watching them play the part of Zorro and Belle was as good as them giving me a birthday present. Along with that, I had as much fun as they did watching them approach each house with the anticipation of meeting someone, doing a dance, singing a song, yelling "Trick or Treat!", and swiping their candy. And I mean swiping literally. My 2 1/2 year old daughter used her charm, innocence, and quick reflexes to help herself to the buckets o' candy when the attention of the homeowner was on her brother. Her thievery was quickly forgiven because of her princess-like appearance and charismatic personality.

Lastly, one thing I've realized about being a parent is that holidays sometimes bring out the worst in people, especially children, because they expose what's in their heart. If they are grateful kids, they will demonstrate gratitude. If they are selfish, they will exemplify selfish behavior even more so than usual. Our kids have their selfish moments but as they asked for and received their treats, they were very grateful for what they were given. Except for my daughter's naive kleptomania, they didn't ask for anything more and didn't complain about what they were given. Thanks, Ryan and Makenna, for making me so proud of you!