Charlie and I’ve been butting heads more and more and he has been downright ugly to me more times than not. But the past week he has been working on it. We’ve even been trying to set time together each day to do something together. This lead to a movie with my family this week and a trip to Dollar Tree where we found a couple houses decorated for Halloween.
I love when new memories are started, especially when our children are 19 years old. You might think that once your children are grown, the traditions you started when they were little will begin to fade away. But I believe we can always find new ways to make memories with our families, no matter how old our children get.
The other night, Charlie and I started something new. We’ve always gone to see Christmas lights as a family. Even when Charlie was in Hobart last year, David and I still went. I’ve been going to see Christmas lights since I was a child, and it’s something I look forward to every year.
But this time, we decided to do something a little different. The other night, we were coming home and saw some Halloween decorations. The only problem was that it was during the day! Charlie and I started talking about going back that night to see what we could find.
We decided we’d pick up some shakes, because when we go looking at Christmas lights, we usually get hot cocoa. So why not start a new tradition for Halloween, too? Charlie called his friend Bradley, who agreed to join us. David stayed home that night because we’d gone to the movies the night before and had been out late.
With David working so many overtime hours, he just didn’t feel like going out again that evening. Bradley came along, and then we called Charlie’s cousin Joseph. Charlie went and picked Joseph up, and then they came back and got me. Before long, we were all together and ready to go see some Halloween lights!
We headed over to Hometown in North Richland Hills, Texas. I’d heard it was supposed to be decorated up like Diamond Lot is at Christmas, so we were excited to see what we could find. There weren’t quite as many decorations as we’d hoped, but that didn’t ruin our evening. We decided we’d go back next week to see if more houses have decorated by then.
And honestly, it wasn’t just about the decorations.It was about getting in the car with Charlie, Bradley, and Joseph, listening to music, hearing the boys talk, listening to them make funny voices, and laughing together. Those are the moments that make family memories special. Sometimes the best part of an outing isn’t even where you go. It’s the people you’re with and the things that happen along the way. I hope this becomes something we do every year from now on.
I know Halloween isn’t for everyone, and I respect that. Charlie doesn’t celebrate Halloween because of the things associated with the devil or Satan. But, like me, he still enjoys seeing the costumes, the candy, the decorations, and the excitement on little children’s faces. That’s what I enjoy, too.
For me, it doesn’t have to be about the scary, gory things that people sometimes associate with Halloween. I enjoy seeing the creativity people put into their decorations and costumes, watching the little ones get excited, and finding ways for our family to spend time together.
We can enjoy those simple things while still holding on to our own beliefs and values. And that’s what this new adventure is about for us. Charlie is 19 now. One day, he’ll move out on his own and start building a life of his own. I know that day will come, even though a part of me would probably like to keep him home forever!
That’s why I treasure these moments. I want us to keep finding reasons to spend time together, laugh together, and make memories that we can look back on years from now. We already have our Christmas lights tradition. Now, maybe we’ll have a Halloween lights tradition, too. Next week, we’re planning to head out again and see what other houses we can find. Hopefully, David will feel like joining us this time!
I’d love for you to join us as we continue this little adventure. We’re always looking for new places to visit around North Richland Hills and the surrounding area. Do you know of any neighborhoods or homes with Halloween lights and decorations that we should check out? Please leave me a comment and let me know where we should go. We’re hoping to find more places to add to our list for next week.
Who knows? Maybe we’ll discover a new favorite spot and make another family memory along the way. Because no matter how old our children get, I believe there is always room for one more family tradition, one more adventure, and one more memory to keep close to our hearts.
And that’s how we keep our family memories alive, one outing at a time. Esspecially when we finished looking for houses and Charlie says hey let’s go walk around Walmart and look for costumes even though where not dressing up. I told Charlie to bring me home so he could spend time with his friends but he asked me several times if I was sure I didn’t want to go and that meant the world to me. Just like David gathering up Gift Cards so we could get our shakes.
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Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
