Prepping for Halloween: A Spooky Thought

I don't want to scare you or anything, but Halloween is right around the corner.  Seriously, if you're not paying attention, Halloween is going to come up and jump you from behind.  I know you're thinking that normally  Halloween would sneak up from in front of you, that we'd be progressing towards it (and it towards us).  But, you forget, Halloween is a sneaky little holiday, it's just as likely to come up from behind than it is to attack you from the front, hence it sneaking up on you from behind right now.

I'm not one of those people who insist in October that it's time for Christmas or on December 26th that it's time to get ready for Valentine's Day (truth be told, I never get ready for Valentine's Day, never).  I think that each Holiday gets its little moment, that you prepare as necessary when the day gets close, and then you wait for the next one to arrive, you don't rush it here.  I saw Halloween outfits in stores before Labor Day this year, that's more than a tad early.

However, we are now two weeks past Labor Day and Halloween is getting a little too close for comfort.  There's no rush yet, there's no need to go out and buy candy right now, or to start carving the perfect pumpkin, but it's time to start thinking about all these things.  It's time to contemplate exactly how much candy you might need, and to start thinking about how you're going to carve your pumpkin once you've purchased it.  Essentially, it's time to get your ducks in a row.  It's time to get prepared.  I wish that weren't the case, it seems like all these holidays are getting bigger and bigger every year (when did there start being lawn inflatables for Halloween?), but it is.

A corollary to my whole not-expanding-each-holiday's-time-frame is not overdoing each holiday.  Consequently, for me, planning Halloween is getting some candy for the neighbors' kids, possibly purchasing a smallish pumpkin, and getting my daughter an outfit to wear while trick-or-treating. 

This last bit is clearly the most important, and happily, it's already been accomplished.  My little one is going to be Cinderella this year.  Over at UnSpun (where, it is true, I'm also a writer) they have a list of the Best Halloween Costume for Kids, and, not surprisingly, Cinderella is currently in the top 10.  Here's the list:

There are other things she could be – last year she went as Camilla the Chicken – but this is the outfit with which she will be the most happy.  And that really is the most important thing about the holiday, making sure that the little ones (safely) enjoy it.