I like the switch that schools have made, to an Autumn Harvest sort of theme, rather than the traditional skeleton and graveyard theme.
I have not lost a child but have always found halloween to be "creepy"
We do not decorate with skeletons, graveyards, etc. We do get a few pumpkins.
The kids costumes are not ghastly. My mil used to make their costumes, clowns, lions, bears, They were adorable.
I have never liked "RIP" and I don't know why.
Thanks ladies. It is the "death stuff" that bothers me. It makes me think about Cooper in ways that I would rather not. I can't stand the zombies, skeletons and graveyards....it is just too much!
Tator- thanks for sharing, it is not trick or treating or anything like that. we are taking Cruz and dressing him up and everything.
Nee- I totally understand what you are saying. Christmas was very hard. The cardinal is our symbol for Cooper, so we decorated our tree with cardinals and monogrammed a cardinal stocking. This helped so much, it made me feel like he was celebrating with us. We also had a huge toy drive in his honor. I am sure you will find your way to honor your angel.
smr- I am so sorry. I know it is hard, it is even harder since is Angel day is approaching. You will not be alone......we are here for you!
Thanks gals for listening!
I think what bothers me is that my DH couldn't stop talking about taking our little one out trick or treating since our other children are 22, 21 and 12, and then we lost him on 10/17/08 so close to halloween. Also seeing all the kids dressed up is kinda hard to. I do decorate but I stay away from all the "death"stuff, I do pumpkins, witches, black cats, stuff like that, seems more festive than morbid. I guess what i'm saying is that I do understand how you feel.
yes it would bother some people what hurts me is i was so looking forward to dressing my little girl up this year and showing her off and getting her christmas presents so all of these hoildays are hurting me if different ways as i had so many plains as did everyone.
I do not have an baby angel.... but I think that short hand bothers some and not others. Rest in Peace is not a bad thing to say.... but somehow the short hand of it seems blunt, I guess. My brother was VERY close to my father, and my dad died while my brother was in jail (long story to anyother time)... he took my dad's death hard, but had a tattoo made on his arm that has my dad's name, birth and death dates, and the short hand "RIP" on it... to my brother it means something comforting I guess, but my grandmother (my dad's mom) was offended by the tattoo.... I think it is just how people look at it-
Perhaps if you look at Halloween as just a commercial holiday with no "meaning" it would help.... I do not get into it it very much- we do jack-o-lanterns and dress the kids up and trick r treat.... but I don't get into decorating, etc much.... I have never been a big fan of the "holiday", other then the "cute" things about it.... I don't think the people who make all the halloween decorations with RIP on them or the people who display them mean any disrespect... as odd as it sounds, I don't think most people associate the whole holiday with real people, adults or babies who have passed away.... (even though most people have experienced a loved on who has passed on)... does that make sense?
I don't know if the question was only directed to those with baby angels... but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents, esp with the story of my brother's tattoo.... I didn't like his tattoo either- I didn't like the RIP on it, but I understood that it meant something with great respect to my brother... you know?