What's it like where you are on Halloween? Did you dress up? Did you eat candy? Did you scare the pee out of anyone?
I've told you about my neighborhood on this day before. It is, if possible, even awesomer (too much chocolate, can't find real word) this year. I have been outside wandering around drinking in the crazy since 5:45. I'm cold and a little sugar shocked and my feet are tired and the dog is exhausted from all the freaking out but I think it was worth it. We'll never see anything exactly like this again. Sadly, the whole outdated digital camera + not knowing how to use the flash on my film camera means that I don't have pictures for you (some day, I promise, and maybe it'll even be a day before I win the lottery) but I can provide a delightful bullet pointed list of the cool. Kath has taken a ton of pictures and I'm sure she'll post them soon, I'll link you over when that happens. (Go over there now and check out some of her pre-Halloween festivity shots.)
- First sighting of awesome was Thing 1 and Thing 2. You know those tricycles with the handle on the back so the parent can steer you out of oncoming traffic? I don't know if you can buy this commercially or if the parents had made it but there were 2 kids on a tandem one of those. Their hair was died blue and they were dressed in the little red jumpsuits. It was very cool.
- The huge crazy house had an alien theme this year. There was a spaceship in the front yard, like a big one, that people could fit inside. The people from the original house had roped the next 2 houses in to their scheme so it was a whole progressive show. Aliens came out of the spaceship with cans full of really gross, smelly garbage (diapers! there were dirty diapers!). They put the garbage into a recycling machine and made it into...HALLOWEEN CANDY! Fun, gross and educational! For the last show of the night they let a few of the kids join in. One little girl had a ray gun and I thought she was going to waste us all.
- There's a very hoity toity pre-war building a couple of blocks away. Very beautiful and full of families and older couples and people who, if they lived in suburbia, would belong to a block association. They had a few decorations out this week but not much until tonight. The tasteful globe lights flanking their entry had orange bulbs in them and their steps were lined with jack-o-lanterns. Not your average one tooth up, one tooth down kind of thing but those high art ones.
- I haven't carved a pumpkin in over a decade. I think I might miss it.
- If you need a good laugh ask the kids for the magic words and see their little brains explode. One poor little girl went with please, which was good but then she was prompted, "the magic three words" and she asked, "Happy Halloween?" No, sweetheart, but another very good choice. She did finally get it. Another favorite was the one whose friend heard the question and went right to Trick or Treat. This little girl, though, wasn't quite sure and really didn't want to get it wrong so she leaned over to her mom, "Trick or Treat? Is that it?" "Yes, baby that's it." So she used it properly and got her candy and then went back to mom, "I did it good, right?" "You did it excellent."
- A young Superman very gently petted Emily. He went away and came back. On his second round he leaned in to her face and I thought he might be whispering in her ear. He softly dragged one hand down the front of her nose and she yawned. He leaned in further and when she closed her mouth he popped back up with a huge grin on his face, "I wanted to see her big teeth!"
- One tiny little Tigger had lost her bounce. If you waved a peanut butter cup in front of her face she'd try her best to bounce her knees but as soon as that treat was gone she got the thousand yard stare, poor thing. I totally know how she feels.
- The politest teenagers on the planet work at the local supermarket. They dressed in costume, went to work, closed up, cleaned their stations then swung by for treats. When told they could go into the bowl and take whatever they liked they each took one, maybe two pieces each and said thank you.
- One family had turned their little red wagon into a coach worthy of Cinderella. They had a prince and princess riding in it and the parents were dressed in full on Marie Antoinette era servants costumes complete with the 15 foot all wigs.
- Amy Winehouse is a popular costume this year apparently. I saw one kid version and one adult version. What's the appeal there? OK, no I get the appeal of the awesome hair but she's not exactly kid friendly. For the adult version there didn't seem to be any...well, props. If you're going to do Winehouse as an adult you have to be either going to a very specific sort of karaoke party or you have to play the nutty alcoholic card. At least smear your lipstick, grab yourself a can of PBR and put your wig on a little crooked, you know, for authenticity's sake.
I find Halloween a little like the marathon. Every year I wish I'd participated but by the next year I've lost my oomph. I'm never going to run the marathon but could you please remind me to dress up next year?