The Great Pumpkin

Today we are going to the pumpkin patch to get pumpkins for Halloween. Hopefully there's a decent selection left. It seems like people are getting ready for the holidays earlier and earlier each year. As soon as one holiday is over, they can't wait to move right into the next. By November 1st, everyone's pumpkins will be in the trash and their cornucopias will be the new hot item. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about celebrating holidays, I just don't get in the zone until a week or two before.

Last year I took part in the Halloween festivities with Alex's sisters, Maren and Sophie. We carved pumpkins at my apartment (see pics), watched Just Like Heaven... and Sophie played dress up in my old wedding dress. She was so funny, definitely a girly girl in hiding.




Later in the week we dressed up for Trunk or Treat at the church. I had no idea who or what to dress up as - but they remedied that very quickly. :)
Alex's family has a costume box with things they've acquired through the years. I tried on every item of clothing in that box. It was a toss up between a Butterfinger bar and Cruella de Vil. Since they had a dalmatian costume as well, I went with Cruella and Maren was the dalmatian. We had a great time, even if it was freezing cold.


The older I get , the harder it is to know how to celebrate Halloween. I think I'm mildly traumatized from my last Trick or Treat experience. I was 14, I dressed up as a gypsy. As usual, my siblings and I were making the rounds in some neighborhood and we got to this one guy's house. Here's how it went:

(Creepy older man opens door)

Us: "Trick or Treat!

Creepy Man: "Hi kids..."(happy and jolly-like until he sees me)
"Don't you think you're a little too old to be trick or treating?"

Me: "No...I'm only 14 (mind you, I had just barely turned 14)

Creepy Man: Gives me a "yeah right" look, refuses to give me any candy and closes the door

The way I see it, if a kid is 14 and still willing to dress up and go trick or treating with their family, they're not too old. That was the last year I went trick or treating with my family. After that, I had to join the other group of kids. You know, the one's that go around bag snatching. How else are you supposed to get any loot on Halloween? Too young to work and buy your own (plus less fun) and too old to trick or treat. Okay, so I've never done any bag snatching, but it made me understand how a kid could go down that lowly road.

This year I may have to bite the bullet and play the role of the door answering candy giver person. I believe it goes something like this: Answer door, act surprised at the site of several children yelling "trick or treat" in unison, disburse candy (or worse, maybe toothbrushes - I always hated getting the toothbrushes... or what about the people that would say, "What if I trick you instead?" Not an option, where's the candy, lady), take a minute to guess what/who each of them is dressed up as, compliment them on how clever they are (even if I've already seen 3 other Dora's and 10 Harry Potters) close door and repeat as needed. By playing this role, it's official, I am an adult.

**P.S. Here's a pic from tonight. We carved pumpkins with our friends, Denis and Valerie, watched "Best in Show" and ate cinnamon rolls. Any time you involve food, movies and friends it's pretty much guaranteed to be a good time, and it was. :)