This time of year is really special to me. For a good few years now as a family we have turned inwards to celebrate Halloween in a special way because I am really not interested in the gore that the mainstream offers us. In fairness, it isn't really even about Halloween for me anymore but we do celebrate it with a family dinner with Robs parents and trick or treating in our local community. We also love all the pumpkin carving, watching movies and well wishes that you get to exchange with each other. But actually a big celebration in our life is Day Of The Dead, celebrated on November 2nd and something that we do every year to help us remember our dead loved ones.
Every year we find it is so important to remember and value life and death and teach that to the children so we make sure to partake in this age old tradition.
Day Of The Dead or Dias De Los Muertos is a hugely significant celebration in Mexican traditions but now it spans all over the world. Lots of cultures practices something similar at this time of year and it is all to do with remembering friends and families who have died. For us, it is a real reason to get together as a family and talk about our loved ones and just share happy memories. It's almost just like a remembrance service but just for us to partake in. That is our take on it anyway and like most family traditions, just started as a real way to connect the children to people they didn't get the chance to meet. If you have ever watched Disneys COCO or The Book Of Life (two excellent day of the dead films) you will know that there is great emphasis on remembering and honouring our loved ones otherwise they are eternally forgotten. In a way, this is what hits home for me and I find it so important to make sure we are carrying on family legacy so we can learn from all the good and bad parts of our ancestors.
Traditionally you make an alter in the home where you place photographs and can even put their favourite food dishes there. This, even though it can seem morbid is based purely on celebration so houses are decorated and parties are had. Honestly watch COCO, it is has all the information there!!
Decorating the house for Halloween is never really decorating it for Halloween for me. It's decorating it for the whole few days of celebration of family and that is why I do it.
This year I wanted to share just how simple it is to create an Autumn Halloween scene with very little. In fact fresh pumpkins and star garlands are all I have used and it just helps to focus on the magic and not anything else if I am honest. Hope you like what I have created. The shopping list:
Pumkins available for £2 and under from most supermarkets but mine are all ALDI
Single Star Garlands are HERE (I bought 3 packs of these)
Star and Moon Garland HERE (I bought 1 pack of these)
Command Hooks to hang on the walls are HERE
For a quick view video of the house click HERE
We are really lucky that the layout of the house allows us to decorate in this way but with our own individual styles I am sure you can create something equally as magical.
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