It's too late to start at number one this year, but next year... Halloween will be back.

I love looking forward to Halloween all October. As the kids go back to school in September I'm thinking about Fall leaves, making apple pies and the first frost for pumpkins for Thanksgiving here in Ontario. In early October we have Thanksgiving, family gather, food is eaten and the freezer is full of homemade pies. Thanksgiving is one holiday along the road to Halloween at the end of October.

Before Halloween and after Thanksgiving we have two birthdays in my family. So I send birthday cards and sometimes we get together still for birthday family parties for my sister and my nephew, Zack. The October birthdays mark more time before the spookiness starts for the adventure of Halloween.

All these family events, occasions and holidays are on the October calendar. But, I've never had a calendar just to count down the days for Halloween. As much fun as the Christmas advent calendar is each year this Halloween "advent" calendar can be the warm up for the main event where happy children bring back a pillow case full of sweets, goodies and chocolate treats.

A Halloween calendar is practical too. A lot of preparation goes into that one day at the end of October. We plan costumes, we decorate the house for the last week or so and we figure out who is going to be handing out candy at the door and what kind of candy we will get this year. You could use each week of October for one of these things, then you would be all set for the big day when you open the last square on the day of Halloween.