We put our decorations up yesterday. Lights, some monsters, day of the dead posters, a wreath. We celebrate October as a family. We have two writers, a teacher’s aide (who hates anything I love), a UPS driver, and a government employee. Oh, don’t forget the lock smith, always handy on Halloween. Why do we put things up two weeks before Halloween? It gets me through the tough time of my father’s death. He died on Oct. 30th, telling me he didn’t want to ruin Halloween for my school aged children, and he died. But Halloween is the time when we can be gracious to the neighborhood kids who are always over-scheduled. Heck, we wouldn’t know our neighbors anymore if it weren’t for Halloween. I understand that the family next door celebrates All Saints Day and that’s cool. My uncle died on All Saints Day and he was one who worked with alcoholics across the US and Canada. He believed in the idea of service, of giving hope and opportunity to those who needed the message. He believed in the union workers that he serviced working for Firestone and the idea that a working man or woman deserve to be whole, healthy, happy. I celebrate Halloween not as a day when the nasties come out, but when the children can be silly and parents proud of their little ones dressed in all kinds of costumes. I celebrate the ‘tweens and their rebellion in a save way. I like seeing the people in our neighborhood have fun and feel safe. We take it down after Halloween of course. And Christmas goes up a week before Christmas and stays up for the 12 days of Christmas. We celebrate all of mankind then. I think it’s just what you chose to make the holidays about.