There once was a time before I had kids where the thought of taking my children to strangers houses to get candy for Halloween terrified me. I was a young adult who thought I was going to be an expert parent and I told myself I would never take my children door to door trick or treating due to how dangerous this world can be. I didn’t even want to show my children anything remotely scary because I didn’t want them to be afraid. In my mind for us it would strictly be trick or treating at grandparents houses and that’s it. Then my children were born, and suddenly things changed.
It was probably my oldest son’s third Halloween when he really started to enjoy trick or treating and I started thinking that there had to be something more we could do. Surely dressing him up in an adorable costume could last longer than an hour. So we started venturing off to a well lit subdivision in the next town over. In this subdivision all of the houses celebrate Halloween. Some decorate their yards with Halloween inflatables, spider webs, orange and purple lights, skeletons and some just leave a porch light on so the kids will know they are welcome to knock on the door to trick or treat. It was in this subdivision that I noticed many of the houses that we go to there would be older teenagers handing out candy with their parents.
Seeing the teenagers with their families, the kids running around, and the excitement in the air made me reminisce on the Halloweens I had growing up. It seems like in this day and time we don’t have Halloweens like we did then. One of the things I remember the most from my childhood is the hours my parents would spend painting my face and putting together my costume. During that time we laughed and spent quality time together just getting ready. I look back now and I really appreciate all of the hard work they put into making moments like this so special. 
Another part of my childhood that I remember so well was an annual Halloween party that my friend would throw. My friend, her mother, and a few others would all come together to throw this party. They would make decorations, would set up games like bobbing for apples, have tons of Halloween themed snacks, then when the sun went down we would go on a spooky hayride where the dads would jump out and scare us. This was such a fun tradition for our group of friends and I really hope to start this with my children once they get a couple years older. 
What I have come to realize is the most important thing is making sure that on holidays like Halloween that we make time for creating special moments for our children and family. We need to face our fears and let our children make those same great memories that we have from when we were children. I’m so glad I realized before my children were any older that myself as a young adult was wrong. Now I’m looking forward to all of the Halloween traditions we can create together as a family.
HYGGEHAUS Halloween Advent Calendar (DIY)
What are some of your Halloween traditions that you have with your family? Post a photo of your family doing the tradition and tag us using #hyggehauslife and #hyggehalloween