Making More of the Holidays by Making Less of Them

I like to think I'm getting a bit better about finding the balance in celebrating the holidays and overwhelming myself with plans to create "perfect" holidays, that everyone will forever remember fondly and appreciate long into their adulthoods.  I've learned it's easiest to decorate with natural things like pumpkins and leaves and acorns and supplement those with a few easy projects the kids make.  This year, we made some ghosts from muslin, white cotton, tulle, stuffing and acrylic paints.  Easy to put up, and easy to store. 

You can see a little painted pumpkin in the window. That was a pre-school painting of Max's that I laminated years ago.  You could go crazy with all the scary stuff at Party City (some of which is really disturbing) and my older boys would love it.  But, it's so much waste, and plastic and things to store.  I just have a hard time getting psyched about it. It's a balance between finding fun stuff the kids like and finding decor I can live with (and put-up, take-down and store in a reasonable time).  I also like things that live until Thanksgiving.  Like our leaf-wreath with a crow on it.  I just take down the crow after Halloween.

Poor Max was sick on Halloween.  I brought him to school for his party and then he was back home on the couch to nap again before trick-or-treating.  Here's the children's book:  The True Story of the Ghoul Who Missed Halloween.  He actually didn't miss it, but he certainly limped through.

Now on to Thanksgiving.  I'm hosting this year.  So much for balance.