When you hear the word, "Autumn," what's the first thing to enter your mind? Maybe it's the weather getting cooler, the smells of limited time edition of seasonal aromas, or maybe it's the celebration of the holidays! For me, I think of the holidays! But, with every holiday, there's a meaning or a story that follows! I'd like to share the meaning of a few of my favorite holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving!

Halloween was one of my many favorite holidays as a child! I always had a fun time dressing up, going out with friends and going door to door! It happens to be the one time where kids can go out late at night with friends, decorating the house with a spooky theme, getting candy and for many people, putting the "tricks" into "trick-or-treat"… My neighborhood did something interesting! Every year, one neighbor would start a “You've been Boo’d!” The idea was to pass the ghost to another family! Some families get together and have fun parties! I remember in grade school, we'd have Halloween parties where we'd dress up in our costumes, have a fun parade in the afternoon and then socialize with classmates playing games and activities!

Thanksgiving, many people think of food: turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing and pumpkin pie… For me, it's all about family and being thankful for things we've been blessed with! Everyday, people forget all the amazing things they do have, that many others don't have… Being adopted, I'm always thankful for my birth parents for giving me a second chance with life and being adopted by a wonderful mom and dad! What would happen if we woke up the next day, only having the things we said we were thankful for? I bet we'd have less than we do now! It's a time to celebrate what we do have instead of what we don't have!

Happy holidays to all!