The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t

This was just one of those years as far as Halloween goes.  Costumes were scrabbled together the night before.  No pumpkins were carved (the decorated one in the picture is from last year).  The decorations were never actually set up, just pulled out of the box and stuck on a shelf where they sat for three weeks until I stuffed them all back into the Halloween box at seven o’clock in the morning on November first.  Erik came down with a nasty little fever the week of our big family party (only half of the invitations actually made it out the door).  Like I said, it was just one of those years.

However, when it seemed as if all was lost and there would be no trick-or-treating in 2011, Erik’s fever broke in time for him to go to school on Monday (following the whole 24-hour rule), the rain stopped, and my spirits picked up.  Sean spent Halloween is Las Vegas, so it was one mama, four kids, and a very busy neighborhood (filled with an alarming number of miniskirts and high heels on middle schoolers).  We wound up having a wonderful little Halloween. 

I must say this year was definitely all Annaliese.  She trick-or-treated longer than both boys (who snagged the keys and headed home after we went through our friends’ haunted house).  Once we were all home and showered Anna manned the door and doled out candy to every little witch and cat and ninja that ding-donged.  We had hot spiced cider to warm up our freezing hands and bodies.  We traded candy and I filched all the peanut butter cups from the candy stash we were handing out.

I think my very favorite comment of the whole night was made after we were all home and excitedly chatting about friends and neighbors we had seen.  My friend’s kids were dressed up as a curly-haired Luke Skywalker and Princess Lea, complete with a brown felt wig with felt buns stuck to the sides of her head.  Djeryd, with his keen powers of observation, informed me that out of the two kids Princess Lea looked far more realistic than Luke Skywalker because “Everyone knows that Luke doesn’t have curly hair.” 

I just about died.