Is Halloween the New Christmas?

There are certain events that I don't really remember pre-child. Halloween is one of them. I know I used to do things for Halloween before I had a kid, but my memories are a hazy blend of drinking, questionable costumes, and too much candy.

Now, as a mother, Halloween has become a paramount event. I'm not quite sure why, as Emerson still doesn't really get it. But for some reason I now get really excited. Here's the tale of our Halloweens so far as parents.

First Halloween
As I was still in the haze of early motherhood and Em was only 4 months old, this was a quiet evening. It was a Wednesday, so there wasn't a whole lot of action. We dressed Em as a jalapeno, which she hated, handed out candy, and had a couple beers.

Second Halloween
This is where my mad desire to make Halloween special began to surface. I don't know if I was feeling homesick or lonely (we had just moved to Sacramento the summer before), but all of a sudden it became really important to capture the magic of the holiday. So we carved pumpkins, dressed Em as Yoda, and attended my uncle's church's "Trunk o' Treating."

Third Halloween
Last year, Halloween was a bit truncated. We had to leave that evening to drive to Redding. Also, Em was NOT into having a costume at all. At first I was really bummed, but then I came to the realization that Halloween was not about me, but her. So I made sure to do things she likes. Em really loves all things pumpkin. So we went to a harvest festival with my mom, carved pumpkins, and bought a veritable family of little pumpkins.

Fourth Halloween
Last night, we celebrated a full Halloween. Em dressed as Super Girl, which she only mildly hated. That evening, Em and I went with friends to a Waldorf School "Pumpkin Path", which was a very sweet, calm alternative to traditional trick o'treating. Afterwards, we went back to our friends' house and had Em's first sleep over, which was partially successful. She fell asleep okay but in the middle of the night she woke up scared. We took her into the living room with us. Then, the real sleep over began. She kept us up all night wanting to play. Needless to say, this morning hurt. But we remedied the situation with a greasy breakfast in a bar/restaurant. Nice.

So I seem to be over my must-make-Halloween-special disease, but I am struck by a weird post-Christmas like feeling I have after every Halloween. My mood reminds me of being a kid, having opened all your presents and eaten way too many cookies, and thinking "what now?"

There's always Thanksgiving...