All Saints Day

As Catholics, we celebrate All Soul's eve, better known as halloween, on october 31st. The whole idea of the holiday is great, especially when you combine it with All Saints day that follows the next day. We learn about the saints, have a party with our friends, get dressed up, and eat candy, stay up late...

However, having experienced this whole 'halloween' thing for seven years and counting with my own little kids, I have realized that this holiday could never have been created by a mom... or if it was, she was certainly sorry the day after. Let me tell you, for those of you without kids, that little children, lots and lots of candy, dark, and a late bedtime are not the best ingredients for happy well adjusted children.

Sure, the tv shows and commercials that show beaming kids going from door to door paint a rosy picture, but they don't show what goes on in the moments before and after.

Before the whole event, there is the mad rush to put on the costumes, find all the necessary pieces, whine about having to eat real food when there is a perfectly good bowl of candy right by the door, and cry because their jackets make their costumes look 'dumb'.

Then at each house there is the shyness that erupts from some of them who refuse to say 'trick-or-treat', walk up to a door all by themselves, and the sheer terror that ensues when said door opens to a view of a very excited dog (who has been worked into a frenzy by each new doorbell). The party goes over well, until it's time to go home of course, and then the 'go to bed and eat your candy tomorrow' battle goes on and on into the wee hours of the night.

Unbelievably, my two year old greeted me in bed this morning at a lovely time of 6:45 am to let me know it was morning and she was ready for her candy!! And now, all day they eat candy, get hyper generally make a mess with chocolate, candy wrappers and fight over who has more of this candy and that candy.

Uh-oh, they are all here begging me for breakfast so I can drag out the bags... wish me luck!!