Halloween

We haven't been able to move lately for the piles of Halloween catalogues coming in the door's post slot; the pumpkins on all the front porches (including ours); the goblins and witches in front yards; the decorations in the shops; and the kids' invites to Halloween events.

Yes, unlike Australia, Halloween is a major major event in the States. Of course Olivia and Kieren are excited just at the thought of that much sugar ...

The first event was on the afternoon of Sunday 28 October 2007. This was an event run by the Australians in Washington Association at the Australian Embassy. Have never seen so many 3+ foot tall Spidermen running around! Olivia dressed up as a black cat and Kieren wore his vampire outfit. All the kids had a great time making goodies bags, decorating plates and biscuits, making bead bracelets, playing, colouring in and having pumpkin and spoon races. Not to mention the heaps of food and the candies that filled their goodies bags at the end of the afternoon.

On Wednesday, both kids had Halloween events at their schools. Olivia went as a witch for her parade and then a party. They made bat clothes pins, a Jack-o-Lantern (Olivia's orange was decorated as a cat), cookie decorating and candy bag decorating. Somehow the cookie never made it home! Kieren made his own clown dress up for their parade and then had a party with Halloween food and goodie bags. He tells me they also did more stuff but details are obviously classified ...

On Wednesday night, Olivia dressed up as a witch and Kieren as Batman and they headed off with Donna around 6pm to a neighbour's house where the kids ganged up to go trick or treating. I stayed home to answer the constant demands. Doorbell didn't stop from about 6.15 to 7.30 with marauding but well behaved kids having a wonderful time, some of them sugar assisted. Kieren stayed in a group with Donna and had enough by the time they got back here and was quite happy to stay with me and move into dispensing candy mode. Olivia's group took a bit longer but she had enough by the time they got to our home as well. Between them, they had about one and a half of their Halloween pumpkin candy buckets full of candy. Most of the other kids seemed to end up with their containers full. Have to wonder what happened to all that candy afterwards!

Houses around here and everywhere we've been for the past few weeks have been decorated up with skeletons, witches, goblins, ghouls, spiders, webs, pumpkins, graveyards, etc. Nearly as big as Christmas house decorations back home.

Malcolm