Day 6
It is early October and I am already thinking about the holidays. I love the hustle and bustle of this time of year. I do not go out shopping near as much now that we are retired, but I love to bring the holidays home.
Fall Holidays
In years past, we loved to do the house up big for Halloween. Partially because it is my husband’s favorite holiday and also because we always loved to see the kids come trick-or-treating. One year hubby even built a make-shift wooden coffin to decorate the front yard. Between the holidays we stored it up in the rafters of the garage. It was such a hoot when we put the house on the market. The realtor called after showing the house and said the client was very concerned that we had what looked like a coffin in our garage.
We now have a granddaughter who was born on October 31st so it has become more about her birthday than celebrating Halloween. Being closer, we may not see her on the exact day of her birthday, but we try to make a trip to help her celebrate. Of course, we also live in a rather remote location, so sadly, we no longer have trick-or-treaters.
I always think about my Dad at Halloween, too. Ghost stories were a big part of our youth and my Dad was the best story teller. He had a very deep bass voice which was very fitting for scary stories around a campfire or even just hanging out at home. There was nothing like everyone gathered around hearing the same tall tales we had heard over and over again. Even though we had heard them many times, Dad still had the ability to startle you just at the right moment. I wonder if kids still like ghost stories?
Mystery Writing
The local library is having a Mystery Festival writing workshop next weekend. I am so tempted to sign up. It is a two day workshop featuring Wofford College History Department Chair Dr. Tracy Revels (a Sherlock Holmes aficionado) and Edgar Award-winning playwright and author Phillip DePoy. Sounds like a lovely way to spend a fall weekend.
Part of my love of these upcoming holidays is also related to my love for autumn. The trees are just starting to turn. The dogwood trees turn first and slowly other trees start to turn yellow, red and orange. We live in an isothermal region so our weather is rather mild and we usually enjoy fall color through Thanksgiving.
A Time for Family
Thanksgiving follows with lots of cooking, tradition and family. Family meals are a big part of the holiday for us, whether it is here or at the home of one of our children. We talk, laugh and give thanks for all our blessings throughout the year. It is also a time I really start to miss my family who have passed away, but I try to live fully while holding their memories close to me.
We had new floors put in our house last fall and changed our furniture layout somewhat. I am already imagining what furniture we will move and where to put the tree this year. We go to Waynesville, NC to get a tree but I will post more about that when we make our annual Christmas tree trek to the mountains.
I do not want to get too far ahead of myself in thinking about the months to come. But I will start to slowly bring out a few Halloween throw pillows and hand-towels. I will also try to coax my husband into unpacking our Department 56 New England Village pieces so we can enjoy them throughout this festive season.
In a couple of weeks we will take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the fall color. I look at the small Japanese Maple we have and it’s burning red color change and am excited to see the mountains in full color. I hope it will be a vibrant year.
But right now, back to enjoying the first little glimpses of fall with anticipation of what lies ahead.
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”
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