I'm Not Quite Done With October Yet
Trick-or-treating in our neighborhood is completely different than anything I ever grew up with, so it never ceases to blow my mind. And, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. It's November. You're ready to forget all about Halloween. So am I. I have already mentally started setting up Christmas trees, so I get it. But I have these photographs I want to post, so PFFFFFFFT. November 1st is almost still Halloween. Close enough to count, anyway.
So trick-or-treating around here always blows my mind, and this year was no exception. While there was a steady rain all through the festivities, there were still a ton of kids roaming around in costume. If it hadn't been so dark, there would be photos of some of the better dressed punks. There certainly were a ton of them, as evidence by the fact that we went through $50 worth of candy in no time flat.
(It's a good thing I like Halloween or that dollar amount would make me twitch. A lot. OH, WAIT. IT DOES.)
Just about every house hands out candy, and the vast majority of homeowners set up shop at the end of their driveway. This year many of them feared melting in the rain, so they moved to their garages when possible. Others did this weird thing I haven't really seen since we moved. They stayed inside their house and waited for kids to knock on the door. I vaguely remember that being the standard mode of operation in my childhood . . . many, many moons ago.
I like the whole end-of-the-driveway thing better. It means less walking and less risk of a sidewalk or stairs reaching up and trying to punch my kid in the face.
Oh, and I like this.
Both the police department and fire department roam the neighborhood handing out candy. For some reason, I find that to be pretty kick-ass.
This also kicks ass.
Mostly I say that because it amazes me that people can leave giant bowls of candy unattended and they manage to last the entire night. I'm pretty sure that if I had encountered that when I was a kid, I would have gone back a few times to grab a fistful of candy. Or two.
There is hope for our next generation. Maybe.
While I'm busy proclaiming my love for Halloween, I suppose I could show you just how deep that love runs. Behold, our yard!
Part of it, anyway.
Those tombstones are going to be the death of me. Every year I fight with them daily because they fall over and blow away and generally just suck. And yet every year I put them in the yard again. Is that the definition of insanity?
Or is this?
How about this?
Big thanks to @rockingpony for contributing to my madness with that Woody. He's amazing!
I set up my usual jack o' lantern that makes it very clear how I feel about princesses.
And Alexis and the husband collaborated for this masterpiece.
It looked pretty good once it was dark outside.
What didn't look good after dark was my ghost lanterns.
I was going to post the steps for making them, but then it rained and rained and my little friendly ghosts decided they didn't want to light up anymore. Apparently plugging in eight ghosts was enough to send our electrical system into a frenzy. I tried to find a way around the whole disaster, but it didn't matter where I plugged them in, a circuit blew. I like hot water and I like being able to turn on lights in the house, so I had to give up. They're cool lit up, though. Trust me.
Alexis' contribution to the house looked good lit up at night as well. I didn't remember to take a photograph after dark, but these things?
Are awesomeness.
They're easy to make. Black wrapping paper (Party City and Walmart both have it). Trace a human (that one is Alexis-shaped). Cut it out. Tape it to the window. DONE.
Alexis made the one in the left window. It's me. I'm sure you figured that out based on the ape arms and tiny head.
Alexis was also responsible for this.
Times two.
I bet you can guess which of the dogs has forgiven Alexis and which is plotting ways to get revenge.
It's a good thing the Bulldog can't figure out how to climb the ladder to Alexis' bed.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Reader Comments (13)
It really sucks that we don't celebrate Halloween here. I would have so much fun with that. Hmm maybe next year I will have a party just because I want to dress up and fill my yard with decorations. Trick or treating is out as the crime rate is too high but I would still love to get Ewan a mini vampire costume.
I enjoyed Halloween muchly this year. I decided that next year, the place to be is staying at home, handing out goodies. I usually love walking my kids around our neighborhood but I'd been sick the night before and my energy wasn't up for walking a couple of miles so i got the at home duty and I loved it! I sat outside on my little porch and had Halloween music playing and chatted with people. Next year, I'd love to have a little portable fire pit in the driveway and set up a little gathering area to hang out in. My kids loved coming home from candy gathering and having a dance party on the front porch- best time I've ever had doing the Time Warp.
A friend of mine is a major Halloween decorator and here's how she fixed her tombstone issue:
http://u8mycrayons.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-build-cemetery.html
My neighborhood doesn't do Halloween for some reason. It just doesn't happen. I miss it.
My sister's place in Cincinnati does it up much like your neighborhood, with people in their driveways or garages to give out candy, usually in costume. She send me a pic this year of one little trick or treater dressed in a Polamalu jersey and long black wig. (We're everywhere!)
Our neighborhood does mostly like yours, and this year those without those big tent/umbrella things were relegated to garages and/or actually making the kids walk to the doors, too. Although, in our neighborhood about every third house yells out to the parents on the sidewalk "Hey - want a cold one?!" Best idea ever.
Maggie just informed me yesterday that she was unhappy with our lack of 'spooky' decorations for Halloween. (I stick with more fall/festive stuff) So apparently NEXT YEAR, I'm gonna need to change things. I'll have to come to you for some advice! I like those window cut-out things, very cool.
@DG--Trick-or-Beer is alive and well in our 'hood as well. I heard more than one complaint that my husband didn't have the cooler outside like he normally does. Heh.
Meg can come live with me. I would never humiliate a dear sweet dog by putting a sw....OK, FINE. But Meg can still come live with me.
So glad you went ahead and posted this. It was great. I love how much you get into the holidays. I always wanted to but, my husband comlained about the cos. :-( Wasn't worth hearing the complaints.
But, I get to enjoy looking at your decorations and everyone elses. This makes me happy.
I love that everyone sets up at the end of their driveway. Genius! We should do that in my neighborhood. It would save miles of walking since all the drives are so stinking long. I really got a workout! ;)
Our firemen and policemen give out candy too. My kids were THRILLED. :)
Your house rocks!!!!
i call bullshit on sitting at the end of the driveway...make the little beggers work for the loot the way we had to. (ok, fine. i didn't make them work for it, but man!, i certainly thought about it.)
love your decorations. well done, my friend. SO well done.
p.s. can you somehow get a dowel rod or two into the bottom of the tombstones so that you could drive that sucker into the ground for better stability?
Since we are currently outnumbered 2:1 kids:grown-ups it requries both of us to trick-or-treat. We leave a bucket of candy (I make treat bags with 3 or 4 pieces in each) and a sign that says "Please Take 1!" We had 13 trick-or-treaters. Next year I'm buying full-sized bars. And more decorations. And I'm definitely doing the silhouettes.
Okay, okay, that Woody IS awesome.
I already know which neighborhood -- if we ditch the no neighbors ever idea -- I want to move into. It's the one we go trick-or-treating with some friends every year. It's very similar to what you describe. Except that our friend (who is a local detective) dresses up as Michael Myers. And chases me. :(
I love all of your Halloween decorations, the sihouettes are my favorite, great idea! I am a victim of the torturous tombstones, every year I put them out, and every year they give me a headache.