Our family tradition of celebrating Halloween at the summer cottage started somewhat by accident. It is the right time of the year for some autumn maintenance and gardening. A few years ago, our work weekend  happened to fall on Halloween, so we turned it into a celebration.

So now, even though we were several weeks early (calendar juggling is a reality even within the family), there is no reason small enough for a celebration. 

Halloween is definitely not a Finnish tradition, and has only caught on here in the last 10 years or so. When I was a kid, it was as distant as Carnival in Brazil. You had heard of it, but it had nothing to do with you.

So, I still find it hard to believe my kids will grow up carving pumpkins every year.