The Halloween Spirit

A friend once described the way I decorate for Halloween.  She said, “Julie decorates for Halloween the way most people decorate for Christmas.  And she decorates for Christmas the way nobody does.”  I love to transform my entire house into a Halloween haven.  Every room gets some treatment, even down to the hand soap in the guest bathroom.  Now that it’s just a few days until October, however, I find myself reluctant to open up those boxes.  I’m not ready to decorate.  

I think the biggest reason for this reluctance is that it’s 85 degrees outside.  This is summer weather.  It has been a beautiful September, and no, I am not complaining about the temperature at all, but it doesn’t FEEL like fall.  When I mentioned this to my husband, he reminded me that this is Utah.  It will be summer weather until there is a sudden cool down.  We will have fall for two weeks, and then it will be winter.  I don’t want winter.  If the weather wants to stay in the 80s through October, then I will not complain.  It just doesn’t feel like the time to decorate.  

Another reason is that it’s been a busy September!  We’ve had events and activities every week.  It has not been the settling down into a school routine that I expected it to be.  We just finished up a fun and frenzied weekend at Salt Lake Comic Con, and the idea of starting my month of spooky ghost story events in just a few short days seems very abrupt.  

Not to fear.  This morning as I drove to work I noticed there were trees who had leaves falling, even in the hot temperatures.  I made sure to crunch through them as I went walking with my friend this afternoon.  I’m going to put on my spooky music, and carefully open one or two of the many boxes of Halloween decor.  It’s still a few days away, but if I put up something here, and something there, I’ll be ready.  

It will be delightful.