We Celebrate Beatrice

Today is Beatrice's birthday, Halloween. We don't celebrate Halloween, and Beatrice knows why, but shielding our kids from a holiday we don't participate in while having a child with a Halloween birthday has proven to be really difficult. Everyone just assumes that we celebrate and when they learn that Beatrice's birthday is on the same day, they probe her on costume selections, trick or treating, and jack o lanterns. She looks up at me, waiting to see if she can say it or if I will: "we don't celebrate Halloween."

She's glad to not celebrate. She doesn't like anything about the holiday, it all scares her and makes her sad. We talk about what God says about witches, magic, the devil, and evil creatures. She knows it's all an abomination to Him and that for us, celebrating a holiday that endorses those things does not honor Him.

Awhile ago I realized how sensitive she is to the stuff we don't celebrate. It made me sad because I never want her to feel bad for having her birthday on the same day as Halloween. We have talked a lot about how the world does some things that we don't, but we don't have to be ashamed of having a Halloween birthday. Our focus on October 31st is celebrating Beatrice.

And we love celebrating her. She's the sweetest, most thoughtful, hilarious, dramatic, and creative little 4 year old girl. She is a great singer, dancer, and bike rider. She loves her friends with all her heart, she loves her sister all the way to the sky, and she loves her parents so much it makes her cry, she says. She is beautiful and strong-willed, kind and sensitive. She is worth celebrating and it's my goal to make sure she is excited about her birthday each year, even if we don't celebrate Halloween. We will always celebrate her because she is awesome and she's ours.

She's the best thing about Halloween.