Happy Halloween!

It's 8:46 pm and we are all done with the holiday -- boos are sitting on the couch with Dad, watching an old Rocky & Bullwinkle episode and stuffing their faces with candy. Our tradition is to let the kids eat what they want on Halloween, and then after that we ration the rest of the candy out, a few pieces a day for as long as it lasts.

Actually, there is a little more holiday left -- after the boos go to bed, Rocket Boy and I plan to watch a spooky movie that I rented today, The Conjuring. Supposed to be very scary. I hope I can stay awake.

The last couple of days have been so full of activities that I feel quite worn out, and very very glad it's over. But a lot of it has been fun, too. I managed to organize a very successful "Fall Celebration" party for Kid A's class (I'm the room mother, now called the class representative) yesterday, even though I thought I wasn't going to make it, being sick and all. Friday was really a hard day, but it all turned out well.

This morning I got up late, and Rocket Boy took the twins to swim lessons. Later in the afternoon I carved three pumpkins (RB had done one the night before) and they turned out pretty well. In the photo above, one has gone out, but here it is next to the big one:

Boulder has trick-or-treating on the Pearl Street Mall on Halloween afternoon, and we've gone to that the last couple of years. But this year Kid A didn't want to go -- it's never really been his thing. (He complained that people on the bus stare at him in his costume.) So he stayed home with Dad, and Kid B and I rode the bus downtown.

He wore his Harry Potter cloak and glasses, but otherwise he was just in normal shirt, shorts, and Crocs. We saw other Harry Potters who were much more accurately kitted out. But he was recognizable enough that people kept saying "Hello, Harry" to him, mostly in fake British accents. One costumed young woman handing out candy exclaimed "Thirty points to Gryffindor!" and gave him a couple pieces.

The mall was jammed -- it always is on Halloween, but this was worse. Just thousands of people there, and I kept losing Kid B in the crowd. Of course he wouldn't hold my hand, and he's much littler than me, so he kept darting here and there where I couldn't follow. Once he bolted across a busy street and I took after him, but was stopped by a policeman who was working hard to keep mall-crawlers from getting hit by cars. "Sorry, Ma'am, you'll have to wait for the light," he said to me. "But my little boy!" I said, desperately. Fortunately, Kid B made it across the street, where he sat and waited for me. Bad, but also good, boo.

We got home around 4:30, and then we all just hung out, more or less relaxing, until it was time to hit the local streets. Dinner was sketchy, though we did manage to get one fish stick and one roll into each boo. Then we got Kid A into his costume, which was much more of an effort than Kid B's, and we were ready to set out.

There were so many kids out trick-or-treating! We hit 36th Street first, and then 35th, and there were at least 50 other kids out with us. There are really a lot more kids in this neighborhood than there used to be. We saw lots of kids who go to Creekside, plus other kids in the neighborhood who go to other schools. There was a big Spanish-speaking contingent, perhaps from the neighborhood, but perhaps visiting from another neighborhood with less desirable treats. It was all good. We saw one kid dressed as a Dementor -- he chased Kid B down the sidewalk! By the time we hit our last street, several houses had run out of candy, and that never happens.

Many of our neighbors really go all out with decorating for the holiday, but what particularly amused me was how many people answered their doors wearing costumes. I'd say easily 2/3 of those holding bowls of candy were dressed up, and I don't mean just a witch hat or something. Very elaborate, complicated costumes, full make-up, the works! Maybe some of them were going to parties later, but surely not all. Many of them were just sitting in their living rooms watching television -- in costume. Seems like the sort of thing I might do, but everyone in the neighborhood?

Well, it's 9:30 now, so I must go back out to the living room and try to coax the little ones to bed. Their bedtime was an hour ago -- I'm sure they're just running on sugar. Fortunately tonight is the time change, so we can all sleep late tomorrow and not feel guilty about it. I'm not quite ready for November, but it's always OK once it's here. I'll read a biography of Martin Van Buren, and get on with my classes. And then we'll have to figure out what to do about Thanksgiving. But not tonight -- for just a few hours longer, tonight is for the spooks. Happy Halloween!