We have a wonderful Halloween tradition we’ve practiced for the last 4 or 5 years: For bedtime stories in October we gather in the living room, light spooky candles and read scary stories in the flickering light. At the end of the stories each child gets to blow out a candle. I can’t believe how much my kids look forward to this ritual. And I do to. Bedtime stories around our house can get a little out of control — sometimes filling an hour or more and eating up that precious evening worktime — and our October tradition helps me reign things in without being a mean mom.
We’ve attempted to do something similar, in November with Thanksgiving stories and in December with Christmas stories, and met with limited success. What is it about October?
Our Halloween story collection is quite small and added to irregularly, so we supplement with library books. Some books we like: Pumpkin Moonshine, Jeb Scarecrow’s Pumpkin Patch, The Spider and the Fly, and In a Dark, Dark Wood.
Halloween candle pic via Jago Illustration.
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You guys are great parents!!
Robin K, one of our favorite Halloween books (the one about Jeb Scarecrow) is from you. Thank you.
I LOVE it! What a cool tradition. You are making some fantastic memories!
Great idea – I will have to remember that one.
Our favorite Halloween story is Mousekin’s Golden House, not scary but very cute about what happens to a pumpkin after Halloween and how a mouse inhabits it.
I loved your ghosts in your windows!
I'm going to have to try stories at night. It's something my children, ages 8,6 and 2 would all love. Our FAVORITE halloween book is John Pig's Halloween. The illustrations are wonderful and the story is super fun to read aloud.
This is a great tradition! My kids favorite Halloween book is actually more of a Day of the Dead book. It’s Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale by Yuyi Morales. The story is funny, it teaches kids to count to ten in Spanish and the illustrations are amazing! We’ve inspired us to read it by candle light tonight.
Sue Kirchner
http://www.ChocolateCakeMoments.com – Simple, Creative & Memorable Family Fun Ideas