Halloweenies!!

Halloween is coming in HOT!! I love Halloween, and all the costumes and fun that goes with it. I just kind of suck at it, that’s all.

I know so many people that are great at the Halloween thing. My friend Amy is a star when this holiday rolls around. She does the makeup and costume thing, every year. She buys out the fake blood and scars on November 1st each year and has an impressive stash of gore. I am completely jealous.

The neighborhood is pretty well decked out too. Lots of cool displays in the yards, gravestones, zombies, skeletons. I walk Zelda around and she give these yards a once over, marks a spot of approval and we go on to the next hay bale. It is impressive the work people put into it, the money they spend rivals Christmas stuff for sure.

I remember as a kid, one of the ladies in the neighborhood by Alicia Park would do a little Haunted House for us kids. It was pretty tame, but she would have treats and stuff. She would make up bowls of “brains” and “eyeballs” and squishy stuff for us to touch. She would do ice cream socials too for us in the summer. She was a neat lady, and it’s kind of sad more people don’t do things like that for neighborhood kids much anymore. Lots of creepers ruined it for these newer generations. But those were some good memories for me, for sure.

With all my love of Halloween, I just don’t seem to get it done too often. I usually have to work at some point, and dressing up is encouraged. But most of my co-workers don’t really do it anymore. It is kind of tough, in a restaurant. You want to wear something fun, but you also have to be able to move and function and not have bandages hanging into people’s refried beans. I am sorry my bloody scar got in your guacamole, sir. I have a lame fallback “costume” I usually bust out, a referee shirt and whistle. Then I wear that, see other people in costume and have total Halloween envy.

I don’t decorate much either. One year I bought a pumpkin, and didn’t get around to carving it, Zelda kept trying to pick it up and carry it around the house. I have some Halloween decorations in a box somewhere, but by the time I get around to getting it out, it’s about November 3rd. Oops. But I do appreciate all the effort others go to for Halloween, there is some fun stuff out there!!

I do like to give out candy to the kiddos that Trick or Treat around the neighborhood. It is fun to see how excited they are to wear their princess costume under their winter coat mom made them wear. Staying warm is important little Ninja guy, sorry your mom sucks. (Just kidding, this is life in Wisconsin at the end of October!!) Zelda is not so fond of the Trick or Treaters, she wants to eat all of them. So she stays inside, barks her head off and I sit outside handing out the goods. I don’t buy the cheap candy either, no Smarties here, just good quality Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers. You can’t risk having leftover candy you wouldn’t want to eat. One year I bought some Almond Joys, to protect myself from eating them. They are probably still around here somewhere too. Gross coconut candy.

I think it is embracing your inner child, participating in the merriment of Halloween. People want to revisit that sometimes. And I think it is great. We run around being icky grownups all year around, it’s so overrated. You get caught up in it, and it should be a fun holiday. No real stress. The people that turn out the lights and pretend not to be home are missing out. Their loss, it is fun to get those kiddos hopped up on sugar. Go out and hit up a Haunted House or something, do a corn maze or pick a pumpkin up for your dog to move on you. Enjoy the fall weather and the goblins. The next holidays that come up are high stress for many people, so have some fun on this one. It isn’t just for the kids, it’s for all of us!! Happy Almost Halloween!!