It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas . . .

Yesterday, we celebrated Halloween at our house.  Just like millions of other families across the country.  We didn't do anything special -- just made the traditional Halloween chili and carved pumpkins and tossed black and orange balloons around the house with the kids. 

My six year-old was a go-go dancer, because when she spotted the multi-colored costume at Target she thought it was "the most beautiful dress I've ever seen." 

I never did look up what a go-go dancer actually is, and at the back of my mind I wonder if it's really an appropriate choice for a six year-old.  But her excitement over her costume stems purely from the fact that it's so fun and colorful and that she gets to dance while she wears it.  Where's the harm in that? 

My two year-old wore his pajamas.  After first declaring that he wanted to be a car, he changed his mind and decided that no costume would come within three feet of his body.  As it turns out, nobody really cared that the kid wasn't wearing a costume, and he came home with a bag full of candy that weighed at least as much as he does.

But what made Halloween special to me this year was the weather.  The fall weather.  The fact that it was cold enough last night that the kids had to wear long sleeves under their costumes and bring their jackets, cold enough that my daughter was complaining that she needed mittens. 

You can always count on St. Louis weather to turn cold just in time for Halloween.  October may bring plenty of unseasonably warm days, but by Halloween night, you can almost always feel the frost in the air. 

And that's as it should be.

I've spent Halloween in Florida for the past two years.  And I could never get acclimated to the fact that you had to worry about a kid getting too hot in their costume.  It's just plain weird that you can wear your bikini to the beach in the daytime and then go trick-or-treating at night.

So I enjoyed this Halloween a little too much.  I'm getting a big kick out of the changing leaves and the falling temperatures, and appreciating the good old Midwest a little more than I did before.  You can't eat chili or drink hot chocolate or apple cider (spiked of course) in the Florida heat.

Well, you can, but it just doesn't feel right.

And this is why I don't mind that Halloween hasn't even been over for 24 hours yet and Christmas is everywhere.  Stores are stocked and online promotions have begun.  Typically, I would be bitching about the holidays running together and wondering why the Christmas season no longer starts after Thanksgiving like it used to.

Not this year.  I can't wait to bundle up in my coat and mittens and hit the malls with the rest of the crazy people.  I can't wait for the first snow.  I can't wait to put up my Christmas tree and sing Christmas carols and watch It's A Wonderful Life. 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  And I'm perfectly okay with that.

Photo credit: sociotard/ flickr