Glimpses Of Halloween At Our House... And The Decline

 

Today I'm going to give you Glimpses of Halloween at our House...

 

 



You know, when I was a Younger Woman, I used to Decorate the ENTIRE House extravagantly for each Holiday Season.

 

 



 

 

I spent an enormous amount of Time Decorating and Transforming every room into a Fantasy Scape for whatever Holiday we were Celebrating.

 

 

And even though I was always working a full time Career and raising a Family I always seemed to find the Time and Energy to do it year after year with Joy and Gusto.  I couldn't Imagine it being any other way!!!

 

 



 

 

But now... well, now so many years later... it is merely a Glimpse of each Holiday compared to what it used to be.

 

 

 

 

It's not that I Enjoy it any less, and now that I'm Semi-Retired I would have thought I'd be more Inclined to do more... but I've found the contrary is true.

 

 

 

 

Each year I seem to do less... a gradual process of only smaller portions getting done... and though I'm pleased with them... I lament that it's a Shadow of what I used to be up to doing.

 

  

 

 

So far I've gotten the Mantle & Hearth of the Fireplace and the Coffee Table in the Livingroom Decorated for Halloween...

 

 

 

 

And one very small area of the Back Main Kitchen on a single China Cabinet... that's about it!!!

 

 

 

 

Granted, I still Plan to do more... but not a whole lot more... and so it has been each year in the most recent decade.

 

 

 

 

I'll probably limit myself to still Decorating  the Bistro Table in the Front Kitchen and the Front Porch and then I'll consider it Done.

 

 

 

 

And in a way I'm disappointed in myself that such a feeble effort will suffice... especially when I really like going "All Out" for Holidays.  I just find that its so much Work and Effort that I don't get as much done as I would like to or I used to... I no longer have the Stamina necessary to go as "All Out" anymore.

 

 

 

 

I find myself leaving more in Storage each year... or just Selling off or Donating larger portions of it since I'm not going to use it all anymore anyway, so why have so much that won't be utilized? 

 

 

 

 

 I'm no longer Decorating an Entire House I reason... and I don't buy nearly as much new Holiday Decor either.  Even if I'm Admiring it all at the Shops and Love wandering around looking at their Decor & what's new and On-Trend for the Holidays this year.

 

 

 

 

And as I'm growing Older I find myself 'Becoming' more like my Parents... especially during Holidays!!!

 

 

 

 

Now let me explain... my Parents always went "All Out" for everything & especially during the Holidays. 

 

 

 

 

I have many fond Memories in fact of how "All Out" they always went to bring the Ambiance of Holidays into the Home & Transform it all into a Wonderland of whatever we were Celebrating and it was Magical and absolutely Enchanting!

 

 

 

 

They did it when I was growing up as a Child...

 

 

 

 

And they continued to do it when the first Grandchildren came along...

 

 

 

 

But then something Strange happened to them that I totally didn't understand.

 

 

 

 

By the time the Oldest Grandchildren were grown they began to Decorate for the Holidays less and less.

 

 

 

 

Now don't get me wrong, they still Celebrated each Holiday and Season with gusto and Joy of the Season at hand... but the actual going "All Out" began to decline... bit by bit.

 

 

 

 

I saw them doing less and less... and actually would have probably done even less had they not been prompted by us to continue with the Magic they had always Created in their Homes, but I sensed they would have been Okay with the diminished Decor... and I didn't understand how they could!?

 

 

 

 

After all, Dad was a Master Chef and so the Holidays were always filled with his beyond Amazing Culinary Genius and he always invited many over for the Holidays to partake in the Holiday Meals and the Specialty Items he made for everyone to take Home with them afterwards.

 

 

We all counted on it in fact... to receive the Pies, Confections and Party Mixes he made from scratch for each Holiday.  I guess I never even considered all the Talent, WORK and TIME that went into it all.

 

 



 

 

And then there was Mom... who always ADORED Adorning, Styling and Decorating so she made every Home she lived in look absolutely Amazing and particularly so during the Holiday Seasons.  I guess I never realized how accomplishing all that wasn't effortless, but was in fact, a LOT of Work and Personal Sacrifice, not to mention the Stamina & Dedication it required!

 

 

 

 

And she Loved to Bake and had her particular Specialties that we always looked forward to her making more than one of so that each of us, Friends and Family, could bring some Home with us too! I never really thought about all the added Expense... and the Time she and Dad must have spent in the Kitchen ensuring that enough was made for everyone!

 

 

 

 

And there were the Holiday Get-Togethers... where everyone would congregate at each other's Homes for weeks prior to every Holiday and then again ON the actual Holiday.  We all spent a lot of Time and Resources having those Special Moments Together.

 

 

 

 

But as my Parents Aged... and got into their Senior years... the years The Man and I are finding ourselves entering into now... the decline began in it all.

 

 

 

 

And I didn't understand it at all then... when it was happening to THEM ...*winks*... but now that it's happening to US... well, I'm beginning to understand somewhat of what was actually happening.  It is said that "Until It's You" there is really no point of reference... and that is the Truth!

 

 

 

 

No... it wasn't that they weren't Enjoying the Holidays any less than they ever had or the looking forward to them... that Abided...

 

 

But they were finding themselves with less Energy, Stamina, Resources and Desire to put that much Effort and Expense into going "All Out" anymore.

 

 



 

Sometimes it just wasn't even possible or feasible, given that limitations and Health related Issues were setting in over Time... making it more of a struggle to do as much as they used to be able to do with ease or without help.

 

 



And now I find myself at that Season of Life where I totally 'Get It' because though I'd LOVE to still be able to go "All Out", I don't need to so much anymore just because what I am able to still do has become enough.

 

 



 

 

It has HAD to become enough... and gradually you embrace how much is enough for you at any given time and circumstances you happen to find yourself in.

 

 

 

 

And yes, I fondly recall those Years when we always went "All Out"... and it's not as if it declined rapidly, it was in fact a gradual process of scaling back.

 

 

 

 

And so I cannot say that the Family is being deprived of anything... we were probably always so

Over-The-Top that by most people's Standards we still do more than 'Average'?!  *LOL*

 

 

 

 

But for us anyway it is a whole lot less than it used to be and so that seems rather Strange and insufficient.

 

 

 

 

And at times I still get a bit disappointed at myself that I'm heading in that same direction that I lamented that my Parents headed at the junction of becoming Seniors.

 

 

And perhaps that disappointment isn't so much about the Decorating, Hosting & Styling as much as it is about the Age related limitations and circumstances you find yourself dealing with as Time rolls on?

 

 

 

 

Where you can't always do what you used to... or as much as you used to... or even want to most of the time... *LOL*  And though the Kids are Grown & some of our G-Kids are Grown now, the ones we're raising are some of the Younger ones that still Need and Expect the Magic and Enchantment they've come to know and Anticipate at this Ole' House during the Holiday Seasons.... the Transformation to a Fantasy Scape. 

 

 

 

 

"Is this ALL we're doing?" the G-Kid Force said, barely hiding their disappointment, when I seemed rather Content & Satisfied with what little we had done in the scope of Halloween Decorating thus far.  And was pretty Tired from the rather minimal Effort I might add. {Notice Glum Princess Face in the background.}

 

 

"No... we've still got some more to do, but not Today... we'll keep working on it Okay?" I says. {Notice Grinning Princess Face in the background now!}  And yes, I'll probably end up doing far more than I would if they weren't prompting me... just like my Parents used to at our promptings. And maybe that's just how it's supposed to be...

 

Source: A FANCIFUL TWIST Blog

And if Halloween Parties and Blogging Fun is something you just simply cannot Resist... you are cordially Invited to sign up for the 5th Annual Halloween Blog Party being Hosted by the Lovely Vanessa Valencia of A FANCIFUL TWIST Blog, which will be held October 27th!

 

 

Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian