Trick or Treat! Halloween is on the way and the event has changed slightly since my youth. Sure, everyone still talks about costumes, though the variety has increased. We maybe had two super heroes, and now there are dozens. I don’t remember pumpkin spice being a part of everything! I gather the Pumpkin Growers Association has taken note from Arm and Hammer Baking soda in how to increase the use of their product. I don’t remember the roving wine parties following the children along. It’s a wonderful thing to see responsible parenting, but the level of fancy has stepped up. Wagons filled with more wine and snacks or warm soup, not sure whether to blame Martha Stewart or Napa Valley in general. It makes the evening a bit more festive.
I have a couple of rules. #1 – No costume, no treat. If a parent is carrying a little one, they get a treat. But a high schooler with only a pillow case does not earn a treat. #2 - We turn out the lights around 8:30 or 9pm. This year is a bit worse because it is a school night, middle of the week to boot. Knocking at 10pm does not bring a pleasant response.
This year will be a little tender. Halloween is mom’s birthday and she passed away in May. It was never easy for Mom to forego her birthday with our cries for trick or treating. There were a few years in our twenties when it was fine to celebrate mom on Halloween, but then children came along and it was back to celebrating on another day.
Another Fall tradition is the end of Daylight Savings Sunday, November 4th. Days are already getting shorter, and I miss waking with the rising sun, but that’s how it goes as the earth revolves. I guess change is what this blog is about! How we celebrate, sunlight and leaves, with time things change.
That’s one reason we check in with clients – because things change and we want to ensure that your financial picture is always a treat and we avoid the tricks life can throw at us.
Have a great October!