How will you spend Samhain everyone? I will be handing out treats to what I'm told will be the hordes of children coming to our neighborhood and also celebrating it spiritually. How about you?

We will take our son trick-or-treating and handing out treats when we return.

It's the feast of the last harvest, and we'll have dinner that includes something from our gardens (even if it's eggs from our hens because we didn't grow any of our food this year thinking we were selling the house!). At the table, we'll set an extra place for those who have left us and we will tell stories about the people who have gone before us in their memory.

I've got an awesome butternut squash and apple soup recipe waiting!

Heather,

Have you and your son decided what costume he is going to wear?

You're recipe sounds like the perfect fall treat.

My son waffles from day to day, but will likely be Boba Fett (?) from Star Wars. He's 4-1/2yo. Star Wars is HUGE!

I will be holding my first Children's Workshop at the Samhain Festival with Greensong Grove in St. Petersburg, FL. (17th-19th) I am very excited! We will camp on the beautiful nature preserve with hundreds of our closest friends (lol!), attend ritual, drum circles and have a grand ole time! We have been looking forward to camping out again since Beltaine.

The actual night of Samhain will probably be spent quietly at home with a small, personal ritual.

During the day, I will go to a neighborhood Halloween parade for children that I try to go to yearly. Although I've gone in the past just by myself, I hope to 'borrow' a friend's child for this event this year. Besides, it's so much fun to take pictures of the kids enjoying themselves!

Later that night, I believe I'm going to an art gallery opening. Fun that it falls on a Friday night this year!

In between these two events, I'll be reflecting on the season and those who have crossed the veil that is so thin on this particular night.

We will have a family gathering. My mom and aunt will come over and help hand out candy. My hubby will take the kids around the neighborhood. And we'll spend a bit of time together honoring our loved ones who've passed before us... probably tell a funny story about them or something.

Before the family gets here my children and I will spend a little time together talking about our ancestors and why it's important to keep them in our hearts.

And we'll probably all eat waaaaaay too much candy!

Deanna,

I've already started in on the candy....shhhhhh, lol. Have a great time with your family.

Our neighbors were right. There were hordes of them. Incredibly polite hordes of children and their parents. They really get into the spirit in this neighborhood. DH and I are really looking forward to decking the place out next year.