Halloween is nearly upon us, marking the beginning of the holiday cycle over the next weeks and months. Hard to believe that Easter 2020 was the start of new beginnings for me. As the months have marched on, only one dreaded anniversary has passed so far. I made a conscious choice to celebrate instead of mourn. I have those same intentions for the next three months, so my planning has already started.
In VC, Halloween was a major event. On C Street. Perfect place, considering the ghostly inhabitants that are regulars in the town. In case you didn’t know, VC is full of spirits, liquids, and other types as well. For a time, there was a Zombie Run in which participants went overboard with their costumes, choosing a character type. Walking Dead or Victim. Each Victim had a flag. The Walking Dead were to steal the flags of the Undead. All of this in a town built in 1875. At the start of the race, the runners were trapped in shipping containers and released at certain intervals. Very Halloween-ish.
Local kids dressed up and participated in the parade down C Street, and the shop owners gave them candy. Up on A Street, it was silent. No doorbell rang. Nothing. Just another day in VC. I might mention that Halloween is not the only holiday celebrated in my state. October 30th is Nevada Day, formerly known as Admission Day. There are huge parades and celebrations then, too. This is all very confusing and busy, with parades going everywhere. The two events compete with each other. Both get their share of attention.
VST and I only dressed up a few times for Halloween during our marriage. The most memorable time was when we were newly married. We were invited to a REAL adult Halloween party. The host was sparing no details, and it was important that we looked just right. I sewed two full-body costumes. VST went as a felt shark. I went as a cute fish. It was one of the most fun nights of my life, and the costumes were a hit.
My kids, who are not kids but fun-loving adults, came to visit me just a few weeks ago. They helped me decorate the house with appropriate ghosts, spiders, and ghouls. Again, I find myself in a neighborhood in which I may have two resident Trick-or-Treaters, my favorite neighborhood brothers. I already bought them special treats.
For my Halloween plans, I intend to do the following. Black light cleaning of the bathroom. This is truly the scariest thing you will ever do. Buy a black light at the pet store. It is meant to identify wayward kitty and puppy urine. When urine is present, it glows under the black light. If you want to see it in action, please go to YouTube and look for “Gals in Grace-Black Light Cleaning”. I hope you find this as hilarious as I did. Black light cleaning is not for the faint at heart and a great way to spend Halloween morning. The upside is that during COVID, we cannot be clean enough. So, run to the store, get one, and try it out in your bathrooms.
I plan to watch scary movies all day. I’m going to make a special Tonic drink for the evening and enjoy the magic of black lighting. The quinine in the Tonic glows, making a ghoulish concoction. I don’t drink alcohol, so my “drinks” are always virgin. But this is a fun thing to do, whether celebrating alone or hosting a party. One year, the A Street neighbors were down, and we all had ghoulish libations. Such a sweet memory.
The time is changing the day after Halloween. This is a small challenge, because Oliver and I get up every day to go to work, writing very early. By 5, he is awake and wants his breakfast. On November 1, we will all be wanting that extra hour of sleep, but Oliver doesn’t wear a watch. It may take him a few mornings to adjust his sleep schedule. Maybe me, too. I love this time of year. The darkness gives permission for my early bedtime. Dinners of rich stews and casseroles. Bright star-lit skies. A need for extra blankets on the bed. All is delicious to me. VST hated this time of year. He was a Spring/Summer guy. To my Fall/Winter, he cringed, knowing the cold would bring extra pain and hours of darkness that he could not create things outside. On this, we never found common ground, but were happy for our partner in their perfect time of year.
November 1 is the day I give myself permission to start decorating for Christmas. I love having the house fully decorated for Thanksgiving. So, the boxes will slowly come in. This year, I plan to go all out. I just purchased a large yard display that simply says “JOY”. I plan to enjoy Christmas music all season and say Merry Christmas to people I meet. I plan to wrap myself in the meaning of the season. Love. Birth. Happiness. Wonder. Family. Memories. All of it.
On Thanksgiving, I have my day planned. Oliver and I are quite thankful for each other. We are going to spend the day watching TV and cooking the best Thanksgiving dinner of my life. Complete with all the trimmings. We’re going to share cuddle time and be grateful for all the wonderful blessings we have, eat too much, and go into a turkey coma together. If others can come, there will be plenty, but Ollie and I will be enough by ourselves.
I am planning to have an afternoon Meet and Greet holiday party for those on my “New” street on my birthday. I haven’t met many of the people who live here, and this will be an opportunity to have a party with my New Friends. Of course, the little boys down the street will be invited, as well as the neighbor next door, who is one of the “Gals in Grace”. I plan to invite old friends from my life in VC, as well. Any of you who know me knows I don’t celebrate my birthday, ever. It’s on December 16th. Just the worst time of year for a birthday. This year, that day is going down as the BEST day, and I plan to enjoy every minute.
A Holiday letter will be to everyone who helped me get through 2020, another tradition that is new to me. I have a long list and will enjoy sending cards out to my cherished angel friends. It will be another way to tell everyone how much they are loved and appreciated. It will reaffirm how much I needed them to get through this year.
My main point here is that all of these things are conscious choices. I have been DREADING the holidays. In the past, they were not always happy times for me. Silly. There is always a lot of extra drama. Birthday blues. Empty nest. All in all, some were pretty miserable. Enough already. I now KNOW reasons it would be okay for me to be miserable. I am CHOOSING not to be.
I was watching “The King and I” last night, after a phone call left me Sleepless in Fernley. In the beginning, Anna and her son sang a song that made me smile. “Make believe you’re brave, and the trick will get you far. You may be as brave as you make believe you are.” So, bring on the holidays. I will be writing about every messy little bit of it.
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