Part 5 in 5 Part Series: Dealing with the Anti Climax After Halloween

The Holidays are over and the Guests have gone home. Most of us that were holding the brunt of the work are glad to finally get a break, but no matter how tired you are, you will also feel strangely let down. In some cases it is almost depressing, when suddenly all the fun and games are over. Having to take the decorations down and return to the boring everyday life is anti climatic at best. You don't have to feel that way and your 'fun cord" doesn't have to be cut that abruptly.

Cleaning up the Mansion.

Just like after Christmas, it is time to take the decorations down and put them away. The house gets cleaned and scrubbed and the customs put away for the following year or donated to a Charity for later. Yes, you will have to do this eventually, but who says it has to be done all at once and the day after Halloween.
I deal with it, by keeping the Customs close by for my clean up. After all the Monsters made the mess, let them help clean up. I take only the absolute musts down, like the curtains and spider webs etc. The Bats, Rats and so on get retired as well, but why do I have to take the cute Halloween Teddies away yet, or the wrought iron candles with the black or orange candles. Remember this is the Autumn Season and you have another festival coming up. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Take a good look at your decorations and decide what can be used for decorations for Thanksgiving. Traditional Fall Colors are brown, black, orange, green and reds. Anything Nature can bring forth in the Autumn Time. Perhaps the Bandit Teddy can now hold an arrangement of leaves (check Wal-mart or Micheals) and sit by a Pumpkin. (Remember Pumpkins are not just for Jack-O-Lanterns).

The Bouquet of dead or black roses can be redone as well. Take the vase and wrap it with streamers of the right colors. If you have dead Roses in it, then add some autumn colored Leaves, some Nuts, some Acorns and maybe even one or two sprigs of berries. A nice pick from your local craft store can complete the Arrangement. The orange Candles can stay and you can add a couple of brown ones if you would like. Get a Pumpkin or Cinnamon scented Candle and place the Candle in between the orange ones. Pinecones on the outside of a decorative bowl filled with the left over candy works well. How about adding a Cornucopia filled with goodies to your table, remember to add a couple of stems of wheat to it. Instead of taking the decorations down, just redecorate. Now you go from let down to anticipation.

The laughter and funny movies are over.

My answer to that one - says who? You have had a lot of fun with your kids while playing those Halloween games. Why do you have to stop? And Movies are good for the entire Year. Turn the Halloween Riddles to Thanksgiving Riddles (see my next Parts Series coming soon), you can even help dress them up and make little customs for Thanksgiving. We are not talking about just Pioneers and Indians either. There were Bears there, Wolves and all kinds of animals. You have a wide variety. You can even be a little wood fairy or a totem animal if you are daring enough. Laughter is not Halloween exclusive. A smooth transition from one reason for celebration to the next is always helpful. Believe me, if you are determined you can find hundreds of reasons to be thankful and celebrate. Yes, life can be very difficult at times and often we have more cause for tears then smiles, but if you look at life with a bit of optimism, you can see a lot of good in it as well.
You can be a fun Mommy without loosing the ability to parent and teach. It is all in the way you behave, think about it and act upon it.

No more Candy!
Maybe so, but the Pie baking season is upon us. You will be called upon for the next 3 Weeks to bake to your hearts content. Unless you are a "candy scrooge" you will have plenty of sweet stuff sitting around your kitchen. I love the Autumn Season for all its wonderful smells. To me, nothings says home more then the fine smell of home cooking and in the summer you can not do a lot of it because of the heat. From October 1^st until about February 30^th I am constantly baking in my house.

I just feel blah!
Of course you do. You have worked hard and been up late. Give your body a rest. Why not sit down with your kids and read some of the favorite Halloween Stories before you put them in the box for storage. It is like bidding your friends good bye until next year. Make an evening or day of it, depending how many books you have. With a plate of fresh baked Chocolate Chip Cookies, Caramel Apples and milk or hot chocolate, sit on the floor with a bunch of pillows and just read to your hearts content. No kids around. Have a nice relaxing cup of Tea, sit on the Couch and read a good book. Turn the Phone off. Or you can just relax in the Tub with Bubble Bath for an hour or so. You can always write in your Journal about the fun stuff you saw while giving out Candy or Trick or Treating.

Bills, Bills and more Bills

I feel your Pain, my friend would say. However, if you had a bit of forethought it should not have been that much. I usually set a budget ahead of time for what I can spend for any Holiday and then work on the project all year long. If you didn't have the Idea before hand, you may wish to implement it next year. For now take a good look at what you have. I believe in reusing things. Perhaps you can cut some of the expenses by reusing the Halloween Platter as a Thanksgiving or Christmas Platter by putting a nice decorative Napkin over it. Or you could use it again by covering it with silver foil all crumbled up. What about the PJ styled custom your kid or you wore? Why not use it as a lounge around outfit, play outfit in the house or Pajamas? Have too much candy left over? Use it as decorations on your cupcakes, cakes etc. Maybe you can even make some fun home Milkshakes or Blizzards.

Decorations see Section: Cleaning up the Mansion.
The point is; if you can find a way to reuse something, you won't have to buy it later, which slashes your expenses coming up. By using your imagination, not only are you much nicer to be around, but you can safe money in the most unusual places.

There is one combined Theme in each Part of the Series and the moral of it is: Think and plan ahead, use your imagination and take things in stride.
You will be surprised how much of the Stress we as Parents face, is of our own making. Kids feel it and they will react on it as well. Halloween is for fun. It is the one time of the Year you can be a kid again, don't let it slip past. Grab it with every ounce of strength you have and embrace the fun inside of you. If you can not find that bit of enjoyment, ask your kids to teach you. They will be more then happy to let you in on the fun. Mine had to a time or two, when times were the roughest for me and I can tell you, they were great teachers.
Kids don't always need expensive things, for most of them, it is about the fun of doing things they usually don't get to do, spend time with you without your yelling at them and getting small gifts. If they are brand name mongers, then you made them that way. Don't blame them now.

I hope you enjoyed the Series and have fun implementing some of the Ideas. Dracula, sexy Vamp, Frankenstein, the Zombies, little Witch, Spooky and Haunt had to go home, but send you their best. They want me to tell you, that if you need their help they are always there for you, in your Dreams, imagination and tons of books. Just reach out.

As for me, I will go on to my next celebration.

Parts 1 - 3 of "Thanksgiving cheap, fun and easy" coming soon to an Article Publication near you.

Happy Halloween!!!!