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Community Corner

Twilight Isn't Just for the Teens

Real Mom of O'Fallon shares her love of all things Twilight.

Yep, I am one of those moms. We refer to ourselves as Twilight Moms, Twi-Sista’s and even Twi-Hards.  Most of the time, I am a normal mom that focuses most of my time and attention to my husband and children. However, a couple of times a year, I become this wild, crazy, slightly obsessed person. 

It all started innocently enough.  I was looking for a new book to read, and a friend of mine, Kristen, lent me her copy of Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer.  I was actually pretty against reading it at first, because I knew the book was classified as young adult.  Worried it would read like a Sweet Valley High book, Kristen assured me it was above a fifth grade reading level and to just give it a chance. 

I read the book and it was okay. I wasn’t exactly hooked yet, but there was a “teaser” chapter at the end of Twilight for the second book in the saga, New Moon. The second book is what got me!  I am a sucker for the tragic love story and this book captured it so well. 

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I finished New Moon in about two days, and Eclipse a few days after that. When I got my hands on the final book in the saga, Breaking Dawn, I literally read it in one setting. Mind you, the book is over 800 pages long, but I just couldn’t put it down. It was a good thing it was a weekend and my husband was home from work, because someone needed to take care of the kids!

I read the books around the time the first book had been adapted into a movie.  Like many books, the big screen version just wasn’t as good. That didn’t stop me from seeing the movie a half a dozen times. I quickly found out that many of my other friends were just as obsessed with this phenomenon as I was.  We talked about having a get together to discuss the books. 

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As I started planning this “get together,” it quickly turned into a full-blown Twilight themed party.  My friend Lisa, who is probably the biggest fan I know, co-hosted the party with me. We planned the party to coincide with the release of the movie on DVD, which has since become an annual event. 

We go all out for the parties, with themed food, drinks, games, prizes and of course watching the movie. We ask our guests to come dressed in Twilight gear or as a character from the book/movie. We decorate with movie posters, and of course life-size cutouts of Edward and Jacob. 

Our other annual event is attending the midnight showing when the next movie premieres.  We’ve done this for both New Moon and Eclipse, and tonight we will be at the to watch the next installment of the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn part 1.  I purchased my ticket weeks ago and have been counting down the days until the premiere. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to come! 

The past three years of celebrating this phenomenon have been so much fun.  I’m really looking forward to the movie tonight, but I’m also a little sad, too. I know it’s the beginning of the end of the Twilight Saga. The final movie of the franchise, Breaking Dawn part 2, will be released in November of 2012.  Until then, I’m going to enjoy a night out tonight with my fellow Twilight Moms and start planning the next party. Here’s to feeling like a kid again!

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