The Trick and The Treats: The Aftermath

The day after:  another Halloween come and gone.  In some ways it was a success and in others, not so much.  So as I "recover" here are some of the highs and lows; hits and misses; and general thoughts on the spookiest holiday of the year.

• As you may know, I have some strict holiday regulations that I abide by.  Decorations did not go up until after September 30th.  We do a pretty far amount of decorating, but inside and out.  I've got ceramic jack o'lanterns with battery operated candles on my mantle. The pumpkins were purchased eons ago at the Christmas Tree Shop (back when they were not owned by a giant conglomerate) and the candles from one of the craft stores. Those "cheap" little candles can really last.  As a test I put several on and left them on to see how long they would go.  While they did dim and die, it took over 2 weeks to do so!  Not bad!  The outside of our house changes from year to year as we add/delete due to wear and tear.  The glowing eyeballs were a hit this year and worth the investment (might need to get some more for next year).  With continuous windy conditions throughout the month, some of my skulls are worse for the wear.  And poor old Mr. Bones, who used to have a stand, but now is kind of propped up by the bushes, is getting to be on his last legs (if he had them, which he doesn't).  We had motion and sound activated decorations that seemed to work better the day before Halloween (when we had a heck of storm blow through and our yard moaned and groaned for hours!).  All in all I think we looked pretty good (though there were plenty of houses that had us beat).  However, it's November 1st, so when I got up this morning, it was time to take down the interior decorations and do a quick clean up.  Hubby is in charge of exterior decorations and they need to come down too.  Since he's home during the day, I expect them gone by the time I get home this evening; otherwise I'd give a pass till the weekend.  But they DEFINITELY need to be gone before the clock falls back.  (That's a helpful reminder from me.)

• Son's costume (Civil War Soldier; Union of course!) was a hit.  I'd say it was almost worth the cost.  (If he can/will wear it next year it will definitely be a winner.)  The main part of the costume was one piece and was decently constructed.  The belt and the strap that went over his shoulder, not so much.  (Safety pins to the rescue!  Of course this meant he couldn't get out of the thing once he was in it.  Good thing it was only a 1/2 day at school.)  He got a lot of compliments and I hope they stick with him.

• Hubby has been dressing as the butler/ghost host from the Haunted Mansion for several years.  (Since I got him the t-shirt that mimics the design).  He stays at home and doles out the candy and with the Haunted Mansion music playing in the background it can be quite scary.  This year I was able to get in on the act as the maid/ghost hostess.  (I found the woman's shirt and headband while we were visiting Disney.)  Only problem is since I went out with my son and it was dark, not too many people saw it or got it.  But thanks to the internet, I can share it with you here...  
  

• Trick or Treat Visits:  There weren't many last year (when the holiday was on a Saturday) and this year was even less.  Only 3 families.  Which makes me sad because we do love to put together and experience that is scary but no too scary.  The music, the costumes, the decorations; I'd love for more people to come by.  (Although feedback my hubby got was that those who did show LOVED it.)  Of course that means plenty of left over candy.  (Eating healthy is NOT going to be easy!!)  Once again, I opted to put out the teal pumpkin and offer non-edible treats as well (http://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/what-color-is-your-pumpkin.html).  I'm beginning to think that I'll have spooky jewelry, pens, pencils, etc. for the next decade or so!

• Going Trick or Treating:  Always fun, but I need to find a warmer way of wearing my costume.  I had a long sleeve shirt under the t-shirt and wore fleece tights.  I threw on a sweater not too long into it and was FREEZING by the time we finished.  (Around 7:45.)  We hit the popular block (which becomes a block party for residents) as did just about everyone else!  Crazy crowded.  This has its pluses and minuses.  Fun, but you need to get there early as several houses had run out of candy when we got there around 6:30.  (It's also an awfully expensive for those who live there.)  And while it was crazy there, it was deserted most everywhere else we went.  My son and I parted company with his friends as we headed home but stopped along the way at houses that still had their lights on.  Plenty of people gave him extra candy because they hadn't had many visitors. (Hubby does the same at our house; he gives out fistfuls!)  The result?  We weighed the candy once we got home using a standard scale.  (Had to have son get on once without candy bag and once with).  The result?  Approximately nine pounds of candy!  (And that wasn't including all the left overs we had in our home!)  People have commented that it will tide us over until Easter.  They don't know my son (or me) very well!

• The aftermath:  I couldn't wait to get home a take a hot shower!  If it had been a weekend, I probably would have gone for a hot bath and a glass of wine.  Even after a hot shower I was still cold!  I estimated that we walked just under 2 miles (does that mean I can eat an extra candy bar?).  We were all exhausted and were grateful to climb into our warm beds at the end of the night.  I do have to say it was hard to get up this morning and do my daily exercise.  (Indoor walking...definitely too cold and too dark these days).  I also managed to clean up the candy mess (two large Tupperware containers!), put away the interior decorations and put back the "regular stuff" (aka photos that get stashed in a drawer). Hoorah for me!

Another Halloween is over.  Some may be planning for Thanksgiving or even Christmas (I'm looking at you retail stores and Hallmark Channel), but I'm already plotting in my head for next Halloween!