Halloween is next week and I just love Halloween!  A couple years ago I wrote about it being the second largest commercial holiday here in the good old U.S. of A. and I think that’s great.  I mean, there aren’t any gifts involved or anything – it’s just decorating and dressing up and candy, candy, candy.  Anyhow – if we insist on making our holidays big, commercial blood baths, I’m glad this one is right up there at the top.  There’s a far less commercially successful holiday right on Halloween’s heels, though, and I’m just crazy about that one, too – maybe even a little bit more so.  It’s All Souls Day, or Dia de los Muertos.  This is a day to remember those who’ve gone before us and honor their memory.  You can do this with an altar or just in your own heart, of course.  I’m pretty much hard wired for this kind of activity every day, what with my obsession with saints.  But – I love this special day and I love the whole altar making ritual.  We have two here at Living Light every year.  We are all encouraged to bring in items or pictures that represent some one we admire or want to honor or just miss. Once the items are collected, we set up the altars and decorate them in the traditional style.  The altars are on display in our Café and Marketplace and it’s such fun to see what people bring in, and so interesting, too.  The altars are so pretty with colored cloths and tissue paper flowers.  We decorate with beads and fruits, too, and those little electronic candles.  Come on in next week and check them out!  You’ll just love them, I promise.