Candy Outlook Good

Allison Clare was cross when she woke up from her nap before Trick-or-Treat, and she didn't want to get dressed. I was sitting on the floor folding laundry, and when I'd suggest pants or combed hair, she'd run away saying, "No, I'm too busy right now" or "No, I need to go do X right now." Finally I said offhandedly, "Allison Clare, I bet you don't even know what trick-or-treat is, but I bet you're going to really like it . . ." (I'd introduced the concept in preparation over the past few days, but only vaguely as I didn't want her to think it was imminent until it was really time to go). She was still running from room to room, pantless, talking on about all that she was busy doing, and she didn't appear to pay any attention to my trick-or-treat monologue.

Then she appeared a few minutes after I'd finished, standing in front of me, hands in front of her mouth, asking with sweet, patient curiosity and this eagerness that showed she knew it was going to be something good, "Mommy, trick-or-treat what is it? What is it trick-or-treat, Mommy?"

Which of course made me want to say back to her, "Oh, do not ask what is it / Let us go and make our visit."

So I got my two little ballerinas into their tutus, and we gathered up Sam and we all headed out. I have to admit, Halloween was more fun than it had been since I was a kid. The first year we lived in this house, we gave out candy with our friends Andrew and Noel on our front doorstep, and that was really fun--Noel and I were both pregnant at the time, and Sam and I had only been living in the house for days, so I guess it was an exciting time anyway. But somehow, last year, I remember feeling kind of Grinch-like and irritated by some of the trick-or-treaters, primarily the teenagers who didn't actually say "trick-or-treat" or who were dressed in violent or overly sexy costumes. What can I say, I'm a prude, I guess. It just seems like a holiday for little kids, so it should be kept clean enough that you don't have to cover their eyes.

But this year, as we walked down our street, which for some reason attracts kids from all over the county and is therefore mobbed, we got to meet a lot of our neighbors for the first time. I find it kind of weird that in contemporary America, you can live a few dozen yards from people and not even know their names, so it was heartwarming to meet them and see that they were just as excited to meet us as we were them. They were all really kind to the kids, and maybe the reason that people come from all over the county is that a lot of our neighbors appear to be giving out full-sized candy bars, a standard we have not upheld at our house (we seriously give out 300 or so pieces of candy, so I don't think we could even afford to give out full-sized candy bars, and I am in awe of these people's generosity!). Allison Clare, predictably, loved it, even though she didn't even know what was really in the wrappers as candy is a relatively new experience for her--this was the first time she's really been able to have much candy.

Then today, she went to our church's Harvest Party, where there were lots of games, cupcake decorating, apple "picking," face painting (she informed me, "I need to get my face painted"--all business, like she was telling me she needed to get her oil changed), and a really cute little fall display where each family could get a photo taken to take home. She got to make a leaf rubbing onto a bag, and the bag was filled with even more candy, so she was delighted and went home to show Daddy (who was home trying to recuperate from a bad cough) her purple kitty face.

Here are some pics of our Halloween:

"What has she got?"

(Brenda, I think she looks a lot like you in this one!)

Gillian's first Halloween!

I think she likes it.

AC's after-party look: face painted, then smeared; hair undone; chocolate all over happy mouth.