Why did it take me, the Photographer, seven years to figure out that I should take pictures of my kids in their costumes before Halloween?! Every year, it’s the same thing … the mad rush home from work/school, get homework done, get dinner cooked, get the hyper children to eat their dinner, throw the dishes in the sink, get the kids in costume, settle the argument over who gets to carry which pumpkin bucket, get out the door … and then, with the bountiful piles of sugar that await them at each house, each doorbell beckoning the desperate children as they anticipate that first sweet bite of candy … at that second of peak anticipation, Mom (the Photographer) says, “Wait! Stand there next to your brother. Now pose like Darth Vader. No, not like that, like this …”
And every year, my children, bless their little hearts, put up with me. My husband, too. And I know I must drive all four of them crazy.
So, this year, a revelation! Why don’t I take the pictures before Halloween? Ok, I know it’s not a revolutionary idea. A million other moms smarter than me figured it out long ago. It just truly had never occurred to me. So today in the Holden household, it was The Day Before Halloween, a holiday in and of itself! I took the afternoon 100% off work, and we carved our pumpkin, roasted some seeds, and then played outside in our costumes (Mommy dressed up as the Photographer) and voila! Pictures are done! Mommy is not stressed! Children are not delayed of their gratification! Husband is not annoyed! It is a beautiful thing!
Another great thing about this Halloween was the costume budget. My oldest son and I have been reading the Chronicles of Narnia together. We read one chapter each night, and we’ve finished 5 of the 7 books. So choosing a Knight for his costume was a pretty easy sell. It took a little longer to convince my younger son, but he finally gave in. Why does that make me happy? Because we already had the costumes! They were Christmas gifts for my boys who love role playing games. And for my daughter, I found the Ladybug costume at a bargain months ago, about $15. She was fine with it until her obsession with Princesses kicked in about 4 weeks ago. So she started insisting that she was going to be a princess for Halloween. Well, lucky for us, she is two and therefor gullible. We simply said, “Oh look, sweetheart, you can be a Ladybug Princess!” She fell for it. But she did proclaim that even Ladybug Princesses must carry a shield and sword like their older brothers, the Knights, do. Thank goodness the boys were willing to share their props.
And while I’m on the subject, I hope you will take a minute to visit the blog of my dear friend and fellow photographer, Paula Swift. Paula and her husband were just interviewed by their local news station to discuss what Halloween means to a family with food allergies. Their son has a severe peanut allergy. Trick or Treating can be a very scary thing for parents like Paula and Chris, not knowing if the next house will drop a Snickers in their son’s bucket. Food allergies are becoming more and more common in our world. Please consider having some “safe” goodies to give out to allergic kids who might ring your bell, like pencils, stickers, yo-yos, or even peanut and dairy free candy like Twizzlers, lollipops, or jellybeans.
Have a very fun and safe Halloween!
