This was the best Halloween in my neighborhood ever. We have never gotten more than 3 or 4 kids in an entire evening, but this year I ran out of candy (I think my husband is disappointed - oh well). I set myself up on the front porch (nice and warm outside in South Florida) and began reading the first book of the "Call the Midwife" series by the porch and Halloween lights. I wish I could have taken pictures, but I didn't want to alarm any parents. Even though I know I would have blanked out their faces, I just knew that taking pictures would make some people uncomfortable - so you'll have to use your imagination.
We had some middle school girls dressed as the "two dead red riding hoods". I asked them if they were from a Steven King movie or something. They had little red dresses on and blood drawn on as if coming from their mouths. Kind of gross, but they were having the time of their life. There were ninja boys, one boy with a white stocking over his face and a fake dress suit on - he didn't know what he was, but who cares? Four teens came by, dressed normally - so I guessed that their costumes were "being normal". There were children laughing and shrieking up and down the street, their parents hanging back and watching. Many princesses, one angel, whom I asked, "how is it in heaven these days?" and she grinned and shrugged her shoulders and said, "I dunno." One teen boy had a split soccer ball on his head - so being the smart person I am I said, "you are a soccer ball" to which he agreed.
My favorites of the night were the really little ones. Mom came up carrying a little 2 year old girl in a ballerina outfit (shades of my own daughter's first Halloween costume that I made). She was just looking around and taking everything in - the lights, being out at night, etc. So sweet. The best was a small 2 1/2 year old boy. His mother and father were escorting him in a little yellow cart that looked like a car. He rode in the cart with his candy. I'm not sure what his costume was, but mom and dad instructed him to come get some candy. Instead, he ran toward the 6 little blinking battery-operated pumpkins on the ground in front of the bushes that line my front porch area. "Ba'y Punkins!" he said as he dropped down to get a look at them. Mom and dad got him to leave the pumpkins and come get candy, which he did, but his interest in the baby pumpkins had not waned. I asked him if he would like to bring one home with him and his parents made sure I meant it. "Of course" I said. His name was Mason and Mason ran back over to the pumpkins and tried to decide which one he wanted. His dad helped him while the rest of the group they were with were yelling, "Mason, come ON". Finally, he picked one brightly blinking pumpkin up and carried it with him to his little car. I told him, "that pumpkin really likes you - look, he's blinking at you!" and Mason stopped to look closely at the baby pumpkin before he was hustled off for more trick or treating.
That was my very favorite. This has been a very enjoyable Halloween - the best ever in all my years in Florida - and that's a lot.
