HALLOWE'EN 2021 is over, the veil between this world and the next is thicker again, the days are shorter and winter is here.
This year, I wondered whether or not I might engage my creative gene and create fabulous, imaginative Halloween costumes for my daughter.
I did not.
Instead, I bought two toddler outfits two sizes two big and told myself that 'they will do rightly for a few years'. I wrestled with the toddler to get her dressed, and tried to get a few photos.
Perhaps I will embrace this aspect of Halloween celebrations a little more when she is a bit older. Perhaps it was a result of the pandemic and coming out of lockdown, but Halloween seemed more commercialised than ever this year. Pumpkin patches – really?
Now comes the 'when I was wee' rant.
Well, when I was wee, all the children on our estate (and all the neighbouring estates) spent the weeks leading up to Halloween 'collecting' – collecting items to build a bonfire, which was one of the highlights of the year.
The bonfire has been lit at Halloween since pagan times, in an effort to ward off any spirits that might wander into the mortal world when the veil is thin. Fire festivals
herald the new seasons in the Celtic calendar. We didn't know any of that when we were 'collecting'.
Pumpkins were confined to American TV shows: we ate barmbrack, toffee apples, monkey nuts and tried to find the 50p in Mummy's home made apple tart. The height of dressing up was a new false face out of Wellworths, worn with old clothes found around the house.
If only I could buy into dressing up. I don't get it and can't be bothered with it, no matter what the occasion. My heart sank recently when I was told that a hen party theme for next year is Disney Princesses. I might shake off the allergy and 'let it go' between now and then. I fear that my daughter might be the child whose mother has no imagination.
While fancy dress was never my Halloween strong suit, I was however, extremely curious about spirits, ghouls and witches. Still am. To this end, curiosity got the better of me and I watched horror films when I was far too young, and scared the life out of myself. To me, Darby O'Gill and the Little People is a horror film. The banshee and the death coach, anyone?
Now, I find myself bewitched by stories of changelings, murder ballads and ghostly folklore, which opens up a world of fascinating stories and songs.
I look forward to embracing some of the old traditions with my daughter in the coming years, and to creating a few of our own. Introducing her to the film Practical Magic will be a Halloween priority.
As the world begins to open up again, life is getting busier and we might not be making time for activities which grew in popularity when we were in lockdown. I read a lot more when the world was quieter, and during Book Week this year, I made time to re-engage with books.
I was a BBC Book Week ambassador this year, and decided to take my role seriously by re-joining the library. Thanks to a recent amnesty, I didn't have to worry about how much I might owe in historic fines for the non- return of books. All is forgiven.
I was in university the last time I was in the library. I had been looking forward to going along to a rhythm and rhyme session at my local library with my daughter when I was on maternity leave, but then the pandemic hit and I didn't get that opportunity.
When we visited the library recently, she loved the children's room, made a bee-line to particular books, pulled a lot of them off the shelves and declared "wow", but her favourite part of the experience seemed to be having the opportunity to tell me "ssssh, Mummy".
The library isn't the stuffy, painfully silent space it was when I was growing up. It is now a community hub which hosts many opportunities for learning, conversations, catch ups and communal experiences. I hope that library visits will become another new family tradition.
