Hello

Cambel Alexander - posted on 11/06/2012

Hi all, noticed this question and couldn't help but stop by. It is many years now since we celebrated Samhain each year with our 3 children by sitting around a great bonfire as the sky turned from sunset to dusk. In my southern hemisphere this is May-1, although we do have a crossover for Hallowe'en on the night of October-31 as well. It is a nice memory. I remember the smell of the ash and the eucalypt.

Koren - posted on 10/23/2012

We are going to this year. I have my kids gather up things from nature outside. Colors of Fall we are going to set up an remembrance altar for there ancestors who have passed.

Amanda - posted on 05/28/2012

if anyone is still following this, i'd love to hear what you do with your little ones for the summer solstice.

This year at yule i told my boys *5 and 2* about the holly king passing into sleep and becoming the green child again when the sun rises. It was quite a long story about the old body dying and when the first rays of the new sun touched it, it became a new baby. He is very emotional so he cried because he was happy for the holly king. Anyway, in the morning i lit sage for my alter and he comes to me and says, mamma, can you use the smoke to make me new like the sun. AH! he made me cry. lol

Laura - posted on 05/28/2012

well the post just above yours is mine,this is Laura,naturist,health mom,live on hot springs land 8 kids very creative,indigo kids,vegan,extended bf ...into the KABBALA....I am an EARTH-MOTHER GODDESS ,,,,THE BEST OF NATURE FOR US..5 fams and our 15 kids,we are a nudist family....any nude families out there?..heloooooo ,well in any case i say, Blessed Be....

Carolle - posted on 02/18/2012

Denyse, a long time ago (my youngest is 24). We spent the day/evening making treats and/or supper while talking about the whole point of Samhain. Then Trick-or-treating because you just cannot escape it.



The night before, the kids got to stay up late, and we did a modified ritual early so they could participate at their own levels.

Beth - posted on 11/07/2011

Our Coven held an open rite at my home. It was a beautiful evening, the weather was lovely not to chilly, the ritual was a wonderful celebration of our ancestors, both known and unknown and of course the food was DELISH!!! what a wonderful way to start the new year!

Faye - posted on 10/31/2011

Happy Samhain! Trick or Treating first then back home to light candles on the family altar and welcome any of our loved ones that wish to come and join us for a late supper. We will be making a Witchy Brew and Moon Cookies tonight as well as watching scary movies. Tomorrow we will also celebrate Dia De Los Muertos.

Corina P. - posted on 10/12/2011

I plan on a all day celebration for Samhain this year. Are you in Vermont, I gathering several like minds for this celebration.

Angela - posted on 06/24/2011

Heather, it's good that you include your child in your activities that will make a closer bond between you both.

Heather - posted on 06/23/2011

Wow these are some great ideas. Im a single mom and last year I put my son to bed since he was only 8 months old. went on my merry lil way to celebrate in our living room. This year I hope I can do something with him.

Angela - posted on 06/12/2011

With us, the entire family takes part. We do not celebrate the traditional way. We have a dinner for our family members that have past to the Summerland.

Sarah - posted on 08/27/2010

merry meet Denyse
No i am not, i have just joined my local pagan group and am still learning slowly, know its where i am meant to be and loving in, can finally talk to like minded people without ridicule
have a wonderful celebration.bb

Annmarie - posted on 07/19/2010

I noticed the latest posting dates and was wondering if any of my pagan sisters are still here? Getting ready for Lammas in a few weeks thought we could share ideas...blessed be and Merry meet

Lindsay - posted on 04/30/2010

heya, i know this is a late post, but, my kids dressed up as witches and went trick or treating! most people took it well, 1 didnt when they stuck cat poo thru his door, he didn't give them sweets!!! lol!!!
blessed be!!
lindsay chick

Karin - posted on 03/06/2010

At the moment, we just do the Trick or Treating, dressing up, and jack o lanterns of the typical Halloween. We don't do a whole lot with it as a pagan holiday at the moment. We might as the kids get older or we might not. When they are older I will teach them a bit more about it as a pagan holiday, but right now, it isn't in the works :)

Shira - posted on 03/01/2010

Hi Denyse! Sorry it's taken me this long to get back to you. I just noticed that I had a message in my circle of moms inbox! Samhain is my favorite holiday but Im drawing a big blank right now since we're headed into Ostara lol. We dressed my then-9 month old son as Yoda for trick-or-treating with his older, non-Pagan cousins. I'm looking for ideas for celebrating sabbats with young children so I'm all ears! I suppose I will go about my Wiccan business and teach by example, plus continue to do seasonal and goddess-related crafts.
Blessed be,
Shira

Michelle - posted on 01/25/2010

Oh yes Samhain is our favorite holiday we dress up ourselves the house and the yard, have a great party where the kids bob for apples, and play pin the nose on the scarecrow. The following night we go to Mamas, and make pumpkin pie from scratch, we use the cleaned out pumpkin shells on the altar, light candles for ancestors, and name those we wish to welcome in the circle. After wards we enjoy each other tricks and treats, watch movies, till my wee ones are so tired they beg to go home. Then I left the remaining altar items outside our apartment door as well as milk and honey as an offering, my daughter got to help with that this year.

Lara - posted on 12/02/2009

Hello ~ I celebrated with my kids, and they joined my Coven's circle. I had them helping with the casting of the circle, they lit the glo sticks we used, and the dedication of cakes & ale (aka Cider), and passed it out for me. They enjoyed it as we did!

How was yours?

Heather - posted on 11/19/2009

First of all ... Happy Belated New Year, Everyone!!



I have 2 kids ... a daughter and a stepdaughter (being raised Christian by her mom). My daughter and I prepared by decorating the yard with scarecrows and pumpkins a few days before. Then on Samhain, the three of us watched Halloween-themed movies, carved pumpkins, and talked a little about what the holiday means to us. Then the girls got dressed and went out trick-or-treating. I'm envious of some of what the rest of you folks did, though!!! Wish I had enough time to have done the same!!

Sara - posted on 11/17/2009

Hi Denyse-

We had a lovely Samhain with our little ones. They are 3 and 1, but we took them out for treats, and had a nice day all together. We had friends over so it was a pretty informatl gathering. The spirit was nice that night.

Blessings. Sara

Amanda - posted on 11/11/2009

I have a 2.5 yr old boy and one on the way, One of my sisters has a girl the same age, and the other has 3 older boys *8,10, and 14*. I'm the only practicing pagan in the family but they all know that. So every year I have what we call "the pumpkin feast". The kids can dress up if they want. We have a harvest themed potluck dinner, bob for apples, and doughnuts, carve pumpkins and just spend some time together with family. We light an ancestor candle before everyone arrives. On Halloween my one sister and I do take the little ones trick or treating but my son and I watched "the halloween tree" this year. Eventually he'll understand :D

Blessings

Carol - posted on 11/06/2009

cheers sisters, happy new year. i made a delicious pumpkin bread and shared it with the ancestral beings. my lo napped all day and i reflected, hehe

TM - posted on 11/06/2009

Southern hemisphere here, we had Beltane.

Sue - posted on 11/06/2009

Merry meet and happy new year .

We do this each samhain my' little ones 'now are 15 but its our family ritual before they halloween with freinds or we attend a party .

We left a offering of milk soaked bread and honey out under our willow and lit a candle for passing spirit this is my daughters role , We have a jack o lantern on the altar which is trimmed for the occasion ,and we lay a place at the table for our passed loved ones to join us at dinner.. we leave open the patio door until our tea light candles have gone out which represent family on the altar . I say a few words of rememberance when lighting, naming each .. The pumkin is placed outside the next day for the animals .

We then look forward to yule .

blessings everyone



sue x

Jessica - posted on 11/06/2009

We are celebrating Samhain tomorrow night, November 7th. My sister in law lives on the banks of a river. We will be having a large bonfire and feasting with all our friends and family. This will be our (my son and myself) first Samhain celebration with this family. I am excited to learn the rituals of my new family.

Jody - posted on 11/06/2009

Every year we prepare for samhain by first creating our Jack-O-Lanterns, then we head to our favorite Cider Mill to pick up freshly made REAL donuts. I line up a ton of movies all themed for Halloween for a Marathon Movie night. We have a Dumb Supper, then off to fun and games. I hang the donuts and blind fold the kids and have them "bob" for donuts. Always hysterical!! We then move on to Bobbing for apples in green colored (by jello lime flavor) water. I tell several stories, I love the resource, "Circle Round" for many good ones. We light our candles at our ancestor alter and I breifly go over who we have represented there and allow any ones that have pasted in the last year a bidding fairwell.

We have our pomagranate seeds for snacks and sometimes even hot fresh popcorn balls, very sticky!!

We then plant ourselves down for a movie marathon until I must hit the sack.

We avoid the trick or treating event totally. Just not in the spirit of honoring our ancestors and wayyyyyy too much candy. It has just gotten a little too crazy now a days for my liking.

Not that there is anything wrong with trick or treating, we just bypass that, by having the kids go to a haunted house party usually the week of to get that part out of there system.

:)

Thanks for asking!!