A Halloween Tradition, From Childhood Witches to Autumn Greetings

Here is a photo of me from when I was very young, dressed as a witch for Halloween. Looking at it now, I suppose some things really do stick with us.

I have always loved fall.

There is something about that first real change in the air—the cooler mornings, the golden light, and especially the smell of fallen leaves when you walk through the forest. It is earthy and damp and unmistakably autumn. The gardens begin to fade, the trees put on their final show, and suddenly everything feels a little more magical.

And then there are the pumpkins.

Every spring, I push those little seeds into the soil and wait. First comes a vine, then flowers, and eventually tiny green pumpkins that spend the summer growing and sprawling through the garden. Watching something that began as a seed I planted reach its full, glorious pumpkin potential might be one of my favorite parts of gardening.

All of those little moments seem to accumulate into Halloween and Samhain.

Celebrating the Turning of the Wheel

Halloween at our house isn’t exactly the same every year.

Some years, we go all out. We decorate, light everything up, invite people over, make food and have a party. There are pumpkins everywhere and plenty of wonderful Halloween chaos.

Other years, I find myself wanting something quieter.

Samhain can be a gentle reminder that the wheel is turning again. The growing season is ending. The garden is going to sleep. The days are becoming shorter, and we begin preparing our home—and ourselves—for the quieter months of winter.

I love both kinds of celebration.

There is room for the jack-o’-lanterns and parties, but there is also room for candles, old traditions, walks through fallen leaves and an evening spent at home appreciating the season.

Sending a Little Autumn Magic Through the Mail

One tradition I especially love is sending greetings to friends and family.

In a world where nearly everything arrives instantly on a screen, there is something wonderfully old-fashioned about opening the mailbox and finding an actual card waiting for you.

And why should Christmas have all the fun?

I love the idea of sending a little piece of Halloween through the mail—a card that feels like autumn and gives someone a reason to smile when they open it.

That idea became my new Blessed Samhain Halloween Card.

I painted the original artwork in gouache, filling it with some of the imagery I associate with this time of year: a raven, antlers, acorns, wheat, greenery and witchy little symbols and signets, all against a soft, aged beige background.

Inside, three glowing jack-o’-lanterns are stacked together beside a Samhain blessing:

Blessed Samhain

By Candle’s glow and pumpkin’s grin,
Let shadows fade and light begin.
Raven’s wing and wheat’s gold crown,
Antlers guard as veils fall down.

On Samhain’s breath, the old year ends—
Bless hearth and heart as night descends.

It feels a little mystical, a little primitive, a little New England autumn—and very much like me.

From One Little Witch to Another

Maybe that’s why I keep coming back to that childhood photograph.

Long before I was planting pumpkins, painting ravens or creating Samhain cards, there I was—a very little witch already enchanted by Halloween.

The way I celebrate the season has changed over the years, but I don’t think the feeling has.

I still get excited when the first leaves begin to turn. I still want pumpkins on the porch. I still love the flicker of candles on an October evening and the strange beauty of bare branches against a darkening sky.

And I still believe there is something special about sharing that feeling with the people we love.

So whether this Halloween finds you throwing a wonderfully over-the-top party or quietly lighting a candle as the wheel turns toward winter, I hope you find a little magic in it.

Blessed Samhain—and may your hearth and heart be warm as night descends.