Well, there you have it – Halloween is over. How was it for you? Did you get in the mood and light up your windows with pumpkins? Or did you turn the lights off and avoid the trick or treaters altogether?
I’ve always liked Halloween. My parents took my trick or treating as a child, and I carried on that tradition with Bryan. He didn’t want to do it this year; instead, we visited my parents, and Bryan helped hand out sweets to the children who knocked (we live in a block of flats, so never really get any trick or treaters).
I’m in awe of the houses who go “all out”, decorating their front gardens and the fronts of their homes with a huge theme – often changing it every year. I’d ever go that faw, but we did use to put a few decorations inside our home just to add to the “spooky” feel. Not this year, though – Bryan was fine without it all, so I went with the flow.
Now that Halloween is over, and the clocks have turned back, Christmas is next on our calendar of events. Every year, Bryan and I look to see the earliest Christmas tree that goes up; last year, I spotted one a couple of weeks before Halloween, but we’ve walked past the same house this year and there’s nothing up yet. It won’t be long before there’s something Christmassy that appears in a window somewhere …
When do you put your Christmas decorations up? Bryan and I had a chat about it recently, and decided to put ours up relatively late this year – on the 20th December, after Bryan finishes school for the term. I didn’t mind going with the flow on that one – it’s something to look forward to. We’ll play some Christmas carols, have a mince pie or two, and make an afternoon of it. I also then get to spend some quality time with my son, so I can’t really argue with that.
Do you know your neighbours? As I’ve said, we live in a block of flats, and we’re very fortunate to get on with our neighbours. As I write this week’s column, we’ve just come back indoors from an afternoon in our courtyard with some of our neighbours – our friends. During Covid, we all kept an eye out for each other, and it became such a lovely community. People have come and gone since, of course, but Bryan gets on well with the other children in the block, and I’ve become good friends with their parents.
It takes a village to raise a child – don’t ask me where that quote is from, because I can’t remember – and that couldn’t be more true. Friendships are still friendships even if you don’t see the person every day or even every week, and I appreciate them, as well as my family who also give me a lot of support. I thoroughly enjoy being a parent, but I can be more effective when we’re supported by people around us. Our mental health can be so much better when we’re with people we care about, and who care about us.
Next weekend, Bryan goes back to school, so we’re making the most of this weekend with a calm and quiet couple of days. Bryan is going to a dance rehearsal for a panto he is appearing in this year (as a villager or peasant or some such part), and then I’m treating him to some fish and chips – and then we’ll have a film night and visit his grandparents over the weekend as well. Some time together – that’s once of the things I love about being a dad.
