Whenever I tell another mom that my youngest’s birthday is in August, they inevitably comment OK Must be able to host a party in the summer. I’m not going to lie: it was just a moment. From a Taylor-themed picnic at our local pool to a hanging piñata in a park shelter, summer birthday arrangements are easy. But while my youngest was having fun in the sun, my three older kids were really hitting the jackpot. My twins will turn 11 on October 30th, and my oldest will officially become a teenager on Halloween – how cool is that? But I’m probably the luckiest here because I’m the mom in charge of planning their party.
As an October baby, I have fond memories of campfires with friends, screaming while hugging each other in a haunted house, and cozy sleepovers filled with scary movies. When I was a child, my mother told me that the leaves would change color to wish me a happy birthday. Growing up in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains outside of Pittsburgh, these leaves always put on a birthday show.
I cried when I first told my oldest child the same family legend, and later told it to my twins. (Of course, my youngest was pissed – we told her the grass would turn brown in August to celebrate she ) As the crisp scent fills the air, the feeling of being loved and celebrated for forty years floods my mind. The whole month is festive and it’s like everyone brings out sweet treats for you. Unlike a December birthday, you won’t be competing for attention with family and religious obligations. Meanwhile, summer birthdays have to be played Jenga in between friends’ vacation schedules. October parties are a breeze. October is designed Attend a party.
It really blends into the fabrics of the season. While I’m not crafty at all, I can afford to buy every Halloween-themed snack in existence. I buy my kids’ Little Debbie pumpkin cakes every year when I first see them on the shelf – it’s the official start of our party season. Sadly, it’s August 19th this year…but they still taste great on a hot day.
Plus, the vibe is just right throughout town. While I have to hunt down Swiftie-themed plates on Amazon in August and battle purple balloons in the pool room dressing room, our Halloween decorations double as birthday decorations, albeit without any rhyme or reason. Our family just decided to combine the two occasions. A collection of skeletons we found while thrifting, some purple lights I got from a local Buy Nothing group, and a giant Dollar Tree spider web in front of our house completed the look. We had a weird Peppa Pig inflatable that I would keep until my kids were adults just to embarrass them. Despite my husband’s mention of some nasty thing called “budgeting,” this year I have my eye on Tractor Supply’s life-size chicken skeletons. When my kids were kids, they believed the entire town was decorated to celebrate their birth, but we never corrected that misconception.
I really feel like October is my time to shine as a mom. What about Halloween night? us. go. all. go out. We ordered a bunch of pizza, threw some eyeball ping pong balls in a bowl of Mountain Dew (that’s how crafty I am), and invited every friend and neighbor to celebrate. Our neighbors love Halloween–hundreds of costumed kids walk through our neighborhood every year. We always make some new friends throughout the evening. They stopped for pizza between candy runs and ended the evening giggling on the porch while exchanging snacks. Sure, summer parties may be easy, but there’s nothing better than having a Boo Baby.
Meg St. Esprit, M.Ed., is a journalist and essayist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is a mother of four adopted children and a mother of twins. She loves writing about parenting, education, trends, and the general joy of raising little people.
