Halloween 2013

Captain J and CinderL

The kids dressed up as normal for Halloween. We went through the costume basket and found L's Cinderella dress which is the right length but the wrong girth (a safety pin made it fit more snugly) and J's Star Fleet uniform which is finally the right size (though Next Gen isn't my favorite).

As in previous years here in England, trick-or-treating in the local neighbourhood was a bust. They did get candy at one door, though that was our door when they came back. So far, no other trick-or-treaters have come to our door. It's just after 8 p.m. local time.

At my wife's work, there are plenty of Americans who feel the need to compensate for the local lack of festivities. Several offices were giving out treats. One office changed a hallway of offices into a haunted house. Or a haunted hospital. Groups of eight to ten people went in for about ten minutes. As we waited in line, L chickened out. She and Mommy went back down the stairs, which meant the female Ghostbuster and Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man with their young son (who was dressed as a crusader knight) moved up in line. When they announced it was for seven-year olds and up, the Marshmallow Man chickened out (he was the dad!). I guess he was too soft.

J, even though he is only six, stayed the course and he entered holding my hand. The tour guide told us this area used to be a hospital but a lot of the old patients and staff had never left. In one room, the guide said a young girl who is very shy often hides, only coming out sometimes. A pile of candy on the floor beckoned us to take some. The pile right by the empty bed. The first kid to get some candy was treated to a grab from a hand under the bed. Then the child crawled out faced down and kept crawling around in a random pattern, occasionally bumping into and grabbing visitors "accidentally."

Another room was a waiting room where a husband and wife still hang around. No one knows what they were (and are still) waiting for. The husband was sitting in a chair facing a TV screen showing nothing but snow. The wife was a zombie walking around bumping into everyone. She hissed but did not bite.

Another room had a doctor in a crazy clown mask who had a big knife and was offering big savings on amputations ("50% off for half a leg!"). Two or three other rooms filled out the circuit. Each room had candy but visitors had to be brave enough to grab it. J got candy in every room!

J was a little scared but not too bad. L would definitely have been crying if she had gone so she made the right decision. We felt pretty good about our Halloween experience until I saw this photo from Why I Am Catholic who stole it from Life Teen.

Top that!