A New Halloween Twist

Recently I read that the most expensive holiday, next to Christmas, is Halloween. In the past, this may have been the case in our household. However, this year, we bucked the trend. In November 2008, I began hearing about my children's costume plans for 2009. Sophia insisted on being Dorothy and the rest of the kids' costume ideas transformed from one idea to the next throughout the year. Early in October I secured a Dorothy costume that my friend had floating around her house. I then waited for the rest of the family to settle on a costume idea. With the requests coming in, I was fully prepared to open my wallet for festive garb including everything from a fortune teller costume to an Egyptian princess costume. However, early in the month we were suddenly invited to a Halloween party, with our costumes yet to be ordered. I took the kids to the basement, pulled out the dress up boxes and let them create. After an hour of mixing, matching and modeling, we were set for our Halloween debut in what we thought would be temporary Halloween attire. When the children marched up the stairs, Steve saw potential for a money saving moment. "I will give anyone five dollars if they wear the costume they have on now for Halloween." The kids jumped at an opportunity to increase their wealth. At $20 for six Halloween costumes, 2009 was certainly our most economical Halloween.

October was filled with festivities. Included was an annual Halloween bash that Annelise's friend threw for the entire second grade in her home gym. Steve, who accompanied Annie, reported back that he had received many compliments on his costume, seeing as how he was not only the sole father guest at the party, but also the only parent dressed up other than the father of the hostess. (I think I am on for this party duty next year!)

Jonathan and Annelise attended the much anticipated Monster Mash at their school. The highlight is always the hospital room where nurses attend to any grotesque wound for which a child can imagine and request care. While Annelise and Jonathan were at the Monster Mash and Steve was chaperoning ballroom dancing with Emilie, I took the little ones to our church's trunk-or-treat. Everyone was disappointed to miss the event, especially Jonathan who always manages to win an award for his costume each year.

Our tradition on Halloween night is to enjoy a dinner of soup served in carved out pumpkins and bread bowls with apples and dip on the side before we head out in different directions for our trick-or-treating. This year Annelise also added a game of Halloween BINGO that she created for our Halloween fun.

On Halloween Steve took Annelise and Sophia out with Annelise's friends while Ezra, Mia and I manned the door, handing out candy to over 300 trick-or-treaters. I snuck out with Ezra just long enough for him to practice his trick-or-treating etiquette up and down our street. After just the ten houses in our cul-de-sac, he was ready to return home and eat his hard earned candy.

Emilie and Jonathan went out with their friends and came home with entire pillow cases full of miniature chocolate bars, skittles and even a few dreaded toothbrushes from local dentists. (We hoped, and expected, that the Halloween etiquette that they too learned as two-year-olds was practiced even with such "treats"!) When each child returned, they immediately dove into their bags, setting aside their favorite candies and then trading the rest until they were satisfied with their candy supply.

Steve and I settled our "candy tax" with each child, tucked each one into their bed, and fell asleep to the sounds of wrappers opening and candy crunching secretly throughout the house.