What is your favorite thing from your childhood, BESIDES trick-or-treating, that you associate with Halloween? Carving pumpkins and making jack-o-lanterns, right? Two days ago at Movara Lulu, our Ivins spa manager, and some of the staff surprised the guests with a pumpkin carving contest!! The resort provided all of the pumpkins, already hollowed out for them, and the guests got to jump back into childhood for a minute and create whatever they wanted with their little, round, orange canvases.

Everyone had so much fun! Everybody got so into it and I could not believe some of their creativity! They were just having a great time, but for those of us that watched them throughout the week, we saw something more.

The people sitting there carving pumpkins and laughing with each other were so different than the people that walked in the doors six days earlier. I continue to be amazed at the countenance changes that occur in one short week. I guarantee this is so much different than any other Halloween these guests have had in the past. There was no candy, no caramel popcorn, and no fancy drinks during this party. Instead there was a ton of laughter, camaraderie, and best of all, NO GUILT! Sometimes we associate fun during the holidays with unhealthy food, and end up feeling terrible afterward. These guests didn’t eat anything unhealthy, but do you think they had fun? They had a BLAST! And they laid down that night with a smile on their face, feeling good about their decisions and excited to start the next day. THAT’s the kind of holiday that we want to have! So instead of sifting through your kids bags of candy tonight after trick-or-treating and stealing the pieces you want, gather them around the table and carve pumpkins together. That is a memory that you can create that will leave you feeling good and ready to make more good choices. The ripple effect is unbelievable! Happy Halloween and happy carving!

XOXO

SARAH