Happy Fall Guys!!!
I’m sure you’ve learned that I love this time of year. The pumpkins and the beautiful leaves make this season so special. But let’s face it, Halloween can be a bit scary for the littles. Confession; it can be a bit scary for me too.
This year we are choosing to be intentional about what how we enjoy this holiday. What this means is we will make this holiday fit into what we want most. 1) A stronger relationship with God. 2) A stronger marriage. 3) A stronger bond with our kids. So we are planning make the most of the holiday and really enjoy it, all while we keep things family friendly.
Here’s some things we are doing this year –
Costumes – I’m sure there will be a day when my kids will want a little more fright in their costumes but for now we are satisfied with characters. And since my children are pretty limited on what they view their costume selection is pretty small.
This year our costume selection is Star Wars. We are fans mainly because my husband is a fan but let’s face it those movies are pretty cool. So this year we are all going Star Wars. Husband – Jedi. Me – Rey. A – darth vadar. M – R2D2.
One tip for costume shopping is be engaged with your child’s selection. If you don’t think something is appropriate, say it. Be specific and share with your child why you don’t like the costume. Having a reason goes a long way when navigating these choppy waters.
Another idea is to shop online. If you shop online you can search for what they want and bypass the less favorable. When you go to the store for a costume you have to sort through some scary stuff and some inappropriate stuff, too. As an adult it’s easier to overlook these things but kids are observant. If you go to a Halloween store be prepared for some discussion time after.
Screen Time – it’s probably not a surprise that we limit what our kids watch but it’s especially true for Halloween films. Even some supposedly kid friendly movies are questionable. This is a place that bad things can creep into our lives if we are not careful. We do, however, enjoy Its a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and Mickeys Treat. We also let our kids watch thanksgiving videos at this time too. Another confession, A has enjoyed some Christmas movies already because they were in the same box as the fall movies. Yep, Christmas movies in early October. Oh well, there are worse things to view.
Events/Parties – This is the big one. You can control what’s in your home but it’s difficult to have control of a public setting. You should be selective of which festivities you partake in.
Some safe suggestions include church fall festivals/trunk or treats, corn mazes during the day (often haunted at night), and public events deemed family friendly.
Our local zoo has a family friendly event each weekend in October before Halloween. This is a great option. Check your local places for family friendly options.
Décor – I’m also very careful with my Halloween décor. I like to stay with pumpkins, leaves, and ‘thankful’ items. I decorate for fall. You can go as friendly or scary as you want. For many reasons, we stay pretty friendly with our décor. A bonus is fall décor is good through Thanksgiving. I don’t have to redecorate on November 1st because everything in my house is strictly for Halloween.
A little something extra –
During October and November we spend a considerable amount of time talking about how God made the tress, how the leaves fall, and what it means to be thankful. Check out our fall list for our Fall Bible verse that we are memorizing this season.
The fact is that Halloween can be scary but we get to choose what we expose ourselves and our children to. That’s why my family will be having an intentional Halloween this year.
How will you be “celebrating” Halloween? Leave your thoughts below.
Life is a grand total of our choices. What do you choose today?
Progress through purpose, change through choice!!
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