Day 75: Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween!!!! This is my absolute favorite holiday. Yes, I know that it doesn’t officially qualify as a “holiday” (but you tell me how much work you really do get done on Halloween??) but I still love it anyways. It possibly stems from my childhood and growing up in a community where I was one of just a handful of kids and my treat bag was usually filled with full size candy bars, homemade treats (I’m dating myself, surely, but this was in the time before you actually had to worried about packaged candy that needed to have your candy x-rayed) and occasionally money. Or maybe it’s because I just love October and it’s the first ‘official’ holiday that Jason and I celebrated together- we were a nurse and doctor!

I have to admit that I am fully in love with the complete commercialism of this day and not the secular origins. I love the Jack O Lanterns, bags of delightful candy in every flavor imaginable, carnivals, pumpkin patches, caramel apples and popcorn balls and décor, namely haunted houses. Where I grew up it was mostly just carved pumpkins, spider webs, toilet paper ghosts and paper cutouts of black cats and witches; today homes are quite extravagantly decorated. My dad usually gets in the spirit with his own little haunted house and spends hours working on it (Perhaps the Halloween obsession is genetic!). And his décor this year, although scaled down due to time constraints, was just enough to be enthusiastic but not scare off the little ones. (Kiera was fascinated by the blinking lights…. Let’s see how she does next year!)

My creative juices flow in deciding my annual disguise and my costumes have landed on all ends of the spectrum- odd but clever (Happy Camper, Raining Cats & Dogs, Cereal Killer) or fun couples costumes (Dog the Bounty Hunter and Beth; Scooby & Shaggy) …. And of course the standard ghost (mom said that I was a ghost three years running…) or witch. I was thinking of being Octomom this year….. but remove seven kids from the equation and it’s not much of a costume- ha ha. Actually, I didn’t really make much of an effort for my costume this year because we were just so busy with Baby Kiera and all of my focus was on her. I know it’s not like she is going to remember her first Halloween but we certainly will!

I can’t remember the last time that Halloween fell on a Saturday- and it meant that it was even a more hectic day than usual! We followed our usual weekend rituals and piled family celebrations on top of it- which made for one tired baby and even more tired parents. (I’m hanging by a thread finishing this…. Thank goodness for the one extra hour of sleep tonight for Daylight Savings Time!). I never got around to a costume for us- which is a first (not counting Wednesday’s office party)! We also never got around to actually carving the six pumpkins sitting on the table, but oh well- we weren’t really home for trick-or-treaters anyways. What we did do was spend quality time with family and it was wonderful!

We went to the pumpkin patch with Jason’s side of the family- including Kiera’s two cousins and it made for some pretty great pictures! (I look forward to making this an annual tradition, along with the Halloween Eve pumpkin carving that was somehow also an afterthought.) Then it was off to dinner to celebrate Grandpa Ernie’s 91st birthday and then to my dad’s house. Kiera was a real trooper and put up with several wardrobe changes today- from her Halloween themed jammies, to the tutu and of course for the final curtain call- her Minnie Mouse costume. And despite my promises of a pony, she was a wee bit grumpy so it didn’t stay on too long. Jason and I were going to go as Mousketeers (“Mommy” and “Daddy”) but that never materialized. Oh well- I have a full year to plot out next year’s family costumes! I’m sure that’s also how long it will take us to eat all of the leftover candy; we had one trick-or-treater who didn’t make an effort to dress up (as strict as I usually am about my “no costume/ no candy” rule) so he got a huge handful of candy. I was thinking about going to drop off a ton to Grayson but I know Leah would do the same to Kie next year and we’ll be pulling her off the ceiling come Thanksgiving, so I guess I have to eat it. And that is why we buy candy that you actually like. (Screw the diet, that’s what winter sweaters are for!) With that I’m going to see how quietly I can enjoy this Reese’s PB Cup….. and try to figure out where to hide the rest from my dear-husband-who-has-no-willpower-for-treats! Hope you had a spook-tacular day!