Halloween will arrive in the twitch of a cat’s tail. I do not have any kids at home to do the dress up and trick-o-treat. That does not mean Halloween has to be boring, depressing or sad.
I do decorate my house. Each year I spend $10 to $20 dollars on a new item to add to my decorations. I did not decorate for Halloween until seven years ago. My kids did dress up and go trick-o-treating until they became teenagers. But I did not decorate the house. A fun way
One way to decorate is to carve pumpkins. I would carve one side to show for Halloween, then turn the carving portion to the wall or fence, and use for Fall and Thanksgiving decoration. Last year we decorated pumpkins using sharpie markers, some glitter glue, eyes and imagination. It turned out nicely and the pumpkins lasted a long time. My daughter finally disposed of the cute creations this last April, upon my insisting they were rotten. This year, I am decorating Halloween pumpkins, but they are artificial pumpkins. I purchased two pumpkins to use sharpie or some paint to form some decoration. I will be able to reuse these pumpkins each year.
I decorate with flowers and maple leaves as well. The past years I have purchased artificial flowers to put in vases and to make wreaths. The table is so much brighter with a vase of color. The fall colors of yellows and oranges add a cheery atmosphere to the home.
With fall comes cooler temperature. I am one of those people who wait as long as I can tolerate the cool temperatures before turning on the heater. I can heat my home with baking. I love to bake and try new recipes. Fall is when I start baking the cinnamon rolls and sourdough bread. The baking takes the chill of the early morning out of the house, and fills it with delightful aromas.
As the cool temperatures arrive I enjoy a firepit in the evenings. Sitting by the firepit with some hot tea, hot cider or hot chocolate and enjoying the evening stars, watching the moon come up. Or if I have a craving for something sweet, roasting marshmallows and making s’mores.
When we moved to Texas and a larger town than what we have lived in prior, we were introduced to trunk-o-treat. People decorating the trunk or back of a pickup with a Halloween theme and handing out candy in a parking lot. There are competitions for the decorating. I like to visit the Trunk-o-Treat event to see how creative people are as well as to see the costumes. People show up hours in advance to decorate their vehicles for these events, as you can not drive the vehicle with the elaborate and creative decorations assembled.
Haunted houses are a major topic this time of year. I am not one who searches out haunted houses to visit, although I have known some people who do. The little town where we live, a group of people decorate a home into a haunted house. Three years ago they used a home destroyed by fire, and the proceeds of the event went to the family. This year I have not been able to find the haunted house. I know the street, just have not found the house. The outside decorations are always good.
Like Christmas, I seeing the homes decorated for Halloween. This is the first year our small town is having a Halloween decorating competition for home and businesses. There is one home that has skeletons rising from the ground in a graveyard. If I was a kid, I would not visit that house as it looks real. There is one resident offering their decorated yard for people to take family photos using their decorations as the backdrops.
There is one fall event I really miss that I did back home. The Aspen trees in Colorado are bright yellow, against the pines in the fall. I would load the kids up to see the colors change in the mountains. It was a short drive, 5 minutes and we were in the mountains. We would do it on a weekend, drive up, have a picnic lunch, smell the fall air, and return home in time to do chores.
Perhaps this is the year to have a few friends over for some finger foods, warm apple cider and games. Or maybe to cozy up with a scary book or movie and eat popcorn. Join with another family to hand out candy at a trunk-o-treat.
There are options for each person to celebrate Halloween if they choose. I made a choice a few years back to celebrate the season and holidays regardless who is with me.
amtolle
Me, Myself and I 
So much to do for fun!
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