The late afternoon sun sent shards of light across the landscape where leaves shimmered in its golden cast and black shadows grew long across the lawn.  As the crisp, westerly wind blew, the leaves quaked upon the limbs, some aloft on the breeze, gently twirling towards the ground where the masses danced in bitter-sweet unison.  It was a perfect October day.

Whether the sky is cloudless or overcast and brooding, I just love October.  It tends to be the month when trees are at their peak color, cooler temperatures remain consistent, and the bugs are gone.  I almost prefer the gloomy days to the sunny.  I affectionately refer to them as “Charlie Brown” days – in homage to the “Great Pumpkin” and “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”.  Almost always, the sky above and behind them was a muted, soft gray.  Nothing terribly harsh or dramatic – perhaps an outer projection of Charlie’s malaise.  Either way, the trees in October have a way to illuminate the world around them, so sun or no sun, they are all beautiful days indeed.

So, I think we may be foregoing pumpkins this year.  I’m a bit of a traditionalist, so it’s a difficult topic to discuss openly.  Instead, I have opted to make my own luminaries.  I tend to obsess about them around the holidays and have yet to find any that I truly like or find affordable, so I bought a few black and white gift bags, printed out some eerie Halloween archetypes, threw in some battery operated tea lights, and the rest is holiday magic.

I still love jack-o-lanterns, and as I type this, I have a strong urge to gut, carve, and light up the autumnal gourd, but for now, my luminaries will just have to do.  How about you?

“October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came-

The Ashes, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The sunshine spread a carpet,

And every thing was grand;

Miss Weather led the dancing;

Professor Wind, the band…

The sight was like a rainbow

New-fallen from the sky…”

-George Cooper

Best wishes,

Kim Sweeney