Halloween!!!!!



HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Trick or Treat??? In my area Halloween is celebrated by dressing in costume, going door to door and singing or telling a joke. It is often customary for the person who answers the door to say " what do you do"? Meaning -  sing, tell a joke, or something like that to the child or children who are knocking. Also, people "round here" call this "trick or treating". I didn't realize that people outside of my town did not do this until my sister married someone from outside of this area and he pointed out that he never did this. I was shocked! He never had to tell a joke or sing a song, he just rang the bell, got the candy and left. And as I write this it reminded me that as a child we actually didn't have the option of telling a joke, it was based purely on our musical talents, yes--we only had the option of singing. Also, thinking about it, I HATED Singing...I was nervous at each door. My best friend [Stacy] and I would often go together and I would kind of step back and let her take the lead. However, I still think it's fun to ask kids "what do you do"? Hey, I had to work for the candy, and why kill a tradition?

I have often referred to Halloween as my favorite holiday. I love the holiday. It's fun, it promotes family time, it gives adults a reason to be kids again. So, why don't I dress up??? I don't know? I always feel like I have to be going out to a party, or having a party. I want to dress up! Yet, I can't seem to get past my witches hat and black turtle neck. However, I do purchase different hat's. And once I even put on false eyelashes. I even wear black eye makeup. That's as far as it goes. Every year, I am a witch [my family might say that I only wear the hat once a year and that I am a witch everyday]. That's ok. If being a witch is my identity, so be it, I like things a certain way in my home and if that makes me a witch, OK...[just a little witchy attitude there]. I guess maybe my witches outfit is my own tradition. It's easy, it takes a few minutes to throw the hat on, and it leaves me time to get my son ready. I guess I AM A WITCH...

So for this post I don't have any spectacular meaning, not yet anyway. Just wanted to say enjoy your trick or treating. Enjoy your candy and dress if you want!!!

P.S. Here are some jokes to pass on for the holiday...[yeah, they are all about witches..and they are funny. esp. for kids and people like me]

Who won the witches beauty contest?  No BODY.

Why don't angry witches ride their brooms?  They are afaird of flying off the handle.

What do witches put on their hair? Scare Spray.

How do you make a witch itch?  take away her W.            

Here is a great legend to share..Esp. if you are like me and wonder why the heck we carve pumpkins??? 

The Legend of "Stingy Jack"

People have been making jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.
Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."
In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack-o'-lanterns.[ taken from  http://www.history.com/topics/jack-olantern-history]