If you follow me on Twitter (yes, I’m mentioning Twitter again!), you’ll know that Lush is my ‘happy place’.
The delicious products were introduced to me many years ago now by my oldest (ha!) friend in the world and very recently she also introduced Littlest to them. We are BIG Lush fans in this house and they are one of the two luxury items that I will treat myself to, simply to cheer me up. I love everything that the company stands for and the Bath Ballistic range makes me happy (if you’ve never watched one fizz in a warm bath, then you simply HAVE NOT LIVED!)
Which brings me to Halloween (I know there is no obvious link, but bear with me!).
I hate it. Or more precisely I seriously HATE trick or treating. I’m sure it’s a throw back from my childhood, but I don’t like being out in the dark. I love the dark when I’m inside, but I simply don’t like being outside in it. I have an overactive imagination at the best of times.
So this Halloween Littlest and I have come up with a cunning plan! Instead of taking Littlest out begging trick or treating, I’m going to buy her a quarter of sweets and a couple of Lush Day of the Dead products (which clearly I already had, but have already used, so will have to buy more!).
Their Halloween products have been inspired by the Mexican celebrations for ‘Day of the Dead’,
where they celebrate the souls of their dearly departed. I love that the Mexicans gather old photos and belongings of their loved ones and celebrate their life, remembering good times and toasting old memories. I wish that we had something like that in our society, that ‘Lest We Forget’ really drives both me and my writing. The ‘Day of the Dead’ makes far more sense to me than dressing my child up like a pumpkin and watching them fill an Asda carrier bag with a ridiculous amount of sweets.
This makes me a bad mum, doesn’t it? You’re going to tell me that I should let Littlest go trick or treating, aren’t you? But, again, bear with me.
‘The Day of the Dead’ celebrations are typically Mexican, so they are colourful and vibrant. They have purpose and reason, they are about storytelling and recollection. And this appeals to me so much more than traipsing around houses and disturbing people while they’re having their tea.
So, this Halloween Littlest will be having a Lush CALAVERA bath ballistic (Calavera means skull in Spanish, oh yes, I’m a linguist). When you drop the ballistic into your tub it explodes with bright, vibrant colour and dances around leaving a trail of bubbles. The fragrance is a blend of lime oil and Mexican marigold petals – both of which play a huge part in traditional Mexican cooking and celebrations. I’m going to throw in some Mexican folklore tales and see if I can freak her out a bit (just because I can).
And then I’m going to buy myself some more CALACAS shower jellies (Calacas is skeleton in Spanish, oh how you come here to learn a new language!). These colourful jellies are designed to represent dancing skulls! I’ve tried the yellow (see photo) and will go for the red one next. So I’m thinking glass of wine, a wibbly bath, a quarter of toasted teacakes and I’ll let G answer the door to all the beggers trick or treaters.
So, am I a bad parent or an utter genius?
(ps - we all know that when it actually comes to Halloween, Littlest’ll be wanting to go out begging trick or treating AND do the whole bath thing too, don’t we?)
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Your aversion to Halloween is matched by mine. I don’t dislike the dark (in fact I love it, and one of my secret pleasures when we visit Wales is to wallow in the relative lack of light pollution) but I do dislike the door-knocking, scrounging element. My OH puts off trick or treaters by responding to the question “Trick or treat?” with the answer “Treat please!” whilst smiling benignly and holding out his hand for a sweet. It tends to confuse the less bright visitors…..
Can you send your OH around to my house and he can answer the door for us too? Your take on darkness is so much better than my view of it. I know that I am missing much that is beautiful.
genius of course! we used to do halloween just in our compound where everyone who wanted to participate left their porch light on and those that didn’t.. well didn’t..
when we came back to england we started a new tradition.. its my pa’s birthday on halloween as well, so my mam started doing a halloween/dad birthday party for my daughter, and we had a pinata… there is nothing funnier/disturbing than seeing a load of halloween dressed kids descending with a vengeance on a broken pinata and the sweets tumbling out of it… hope littlest enjoys! def think we should do something for a day of the dead … 
btw… how i didnt’ realise i don’t know about your lush obsession.. i should’ve mentioned i live in lush vicinity.. kind of… 
Twitter: @XS143
Compound? And how did you not realise my Lush obsession? Love the pinata idea, but I always feel sorry for the cardboard creature… I reallly should get out more! x
Lush is my nemesis.
I am so deeply allergic to 90% of Lush products that I have to cross the street just to walk past the shop so that I don’t have an asthma attack. We can’t have Lush bath bombs and stuff in the house, let alone in my bath!
So - enjoy, but don’t bring that toxic stuff one step closer!
Twitter: @stray_and_ruby
I think I already knew this and have been buying your share too for many years now
x
‘Oldest’ friend eh? Hm, just because I’m now the wrong side of forty - you’re supposed to have pity on the afflicted you know. But I digress.
Helloooo : D I think your Halloween idea is fantabulosa. And I love this post. And I know that you aren’t meant to start a sentence with an ‘And’ but oh well, never mind.
I do think that missy should tap you up for sweets and bathbomb AND trick or treating , I know a few here that would go for that approach too : D
Love hearing about Mexican day of the dead, you have inspired me to find out more about it. I love this post x
Twitter: @inawelshgarden
One day I too will be the wrong side of forty and oh now you will laugh… And, I always start sentences with And. Embrace your creative grammar
I have a feeling you’re going to be right with the whole tapping up thing, oh yes, she’s got a ‘bit’ of the the Mary Mary in her, mixed with a bit of cunning. Genius child x
“And I know that you aren’t meant to start a sentence with an ‘And’ but oh well, never mind.” Oh, I think that’s an old one - use it and refer to the evolving nature of language, I say! I might have to take issue with the stuff about apostrophes etc, but on the whole I agree with a certain Mr Fry : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY
And even for those who don’t, the graphics are still gorgeous!
I love Mr Fry. I really really do.
I am totally with you about Halloween, I usually turn all the lights off and hide in the back of the house. Or go away to a friends for the weekend! I have tried to arrange the latter for this year but my gorgeous friend is working. Boo! Jules has asked to go trick of treating this year, and I was caught off guard and couldn’t think of a single reason why she couldn’t. I have compromised and said that we are only going to her friends houses, but I still hate the idea.
I absolutely love the dark though, there is nothing better than a clear night sky where you can lie back (only if the grass is dry of course), and spot the constellations. Well, I can only every recognise The Plough and Orion’s Belt! But the night sky is an amazing spectacle, full of planets, meteors and stars, which twinkle at you unfailing, every night.
Haven’t really been inside Lush for a while, but I love the sound of the Mexican range, Jules would love it. Unfortunately a bribe of bath products is a false promise, as we don’t actually have a bath at the moment, as my hubby, Simon is currently renovating it! May have to give Lush a try to christen the new bath.
Love The Day of the Dead celebrations, although it does make me think of dreadful B movies I used to watch in my youth.
Interesting and informative post. About to google The Day of the Dead, interested to see what it throws up!
Oh and sensible parent not bad one!
Twitter: @lisaward101
I wish I loved the dark. I honestly feel like I am missing something, but instead I am so scared about what lurks. Seriously over-active imagination! You need to tell your hubby to hurry up with the whole bath thing (although I am impressed that he is doing it himself!) and do reward yourself with Lush at the end
Have fun on Halloween!
I’m not a huge fan of going trick or treating either but I love it when children come to our door so I always stock up with treats for them. Have to clarify that where we live it’s usually tiny children with mums hanging back to watch which is always cute.
If you are worried about being a bad parent, I am well and truly in the doghouse as we are seeing friends on halloween so trick or treating is definitely off the menu. We’ll just have to hand treats out when the ghosts and skeletons come knocking.
Twitter: @RebeccaEmin
See, I think that’s genius and forward-thinking parenting! Now all you need is some Lush products to treat yourself when the kiddies are all in bed
ps - Utter Genius. Of course. There’s not a whiff of bad parenting about you Missis. You’re an absolute love x
Twitter: @inawelshgarden
and that is why you are my favourite! x
Well *obviously* you’re a genius. I also hate Hallowe’en - and I don’t like the Americanisation of it either, by that I mean the increasing commercialisation of it and the insistence that we should allow our children to beg for sweets from strangers. The rest of the year we tell them not to take sweets from strangers, mixed messages do you think?
I also love Lush - not just for their products, but because they are currently running a campaign to stop greyhound racing. My lovely Tessie is a retired racing greyhound, and she was well treated (as far as we know) but so many dogs are very badly treated and often killed when they finish their racing career. More information is on the Lush website.
Twitter: @notsupermum
Exactly! Really, exactly EXACTLY! (re: sweets from stranger). And I saw the greyhound campaign, which is another reason to support a company with such an amazing ethos. x
You are a genius. I love Halloween (though not the trick or treating part) and adore LUSH. Going to a LUSH lock in on the 30th October, can’t wait!
Twitter: @djkirkby
I am SO jealous! Let me know what you buy x
You’re a genius of course! I love hallowe’en but we never went Trick or Treating, we stayed in and did ‘duck apple’ (an ancient Roman tradition, I believe!) There is a long tradition of begging door to door…erm I mean visiting neighbours during festivals etc, penny for the guy, carol singing, wren dressing and Trick or Treating isn’t actually a purely American tradition it started here but died out and was reimported! I can’t say I’m too enamoured with ‘Scream’ costumes and grim reaper scythes being on sale but it’s probably me. Don’t people in Southern France dress graves with flowers and such this time of year too?
Twitter: @MayhewJ
Yes! I don’t know if it was typical of all of the South of France. I lived there for a year when I was 18 and I just thought that it was a local-family tradition. It was an amazing sight to see, but I think the impact and reasong went over my head at the time. Love, love, love your clever comment. We should write a collection of Halloween short stories, all abotu tradition and folklore! Actually, we really should! xxx
I LOVE this idea. Now I know I’m childless so I’m going to sound uber child catcher like right now but god trick or treating drives me mad. I try very hard to grin and bear the cute little kids when they come a knocking my door {read as I take the dog and hide in the back room with no lights on pretending there’s no one home} but when you get teenagers and the like knocking at the door it just drives me mental.
That said maybe it’s back to my childhood too as I was never allowed trick or treating/penny for a guy or christmas caroling as a child and I soon stopped even asking as it was a Phillips rule that knocking doors begging would never be agreed too.
Now here’s the question. Can I {as a grown up} compensate myself to some beauty products this halloween to get over the stress of the door knocking? I think so.
Twitter: @rachaelblogs
YES! I am a grown up (apparently!) and say, go forth, compensate!
We got pulled into Halloween when teenager was smaller and loved to dress up and hand out sweets at the door. I was totally surprised though last year, when delivering her to a friend’s house for Trick or Treat expedition, to see how many people had the whole of their houses decorated - almost as much as for Christmas - pumpkins, inflatable skeletons, gigantic spider webs draped across the front of the house. I’m hoping that’s something that doesn’t catch on.
Twitter: @marymayf
Oh don’t… really, I am too scared to even consider that option!
I too have a natural aversion to door-to-door begging and to get out of it I have put on a Halloween party for the kids and their friends at home every year since they were school age. They like answering the door to trick or treaters and I don’t have to go out in the cold and the rain and be embarrassed in front of the neighbours. I keep hoping that one of the other parents will return the favour by hosting a party at their house but no-one ever does so I’m stuck with halloween parties now for at least another 5 years. I just congratulate myself by thinking of all the happy memories I am stocking up for the kids futures
Twitter: @annamarie68
So, does that mean we can all come to your house?
And yes, you’re so right, it’s all about happy creating memories! x