Halloween

Sunday was our first Halloween.
The Friday before Halloween, Malissa and Nikhil carved pumpkins. Nikhil tried hard not to compulsively wash his hands while scooping out the slippery insides and seeds. We roasted the seeds, which were delicious. Then Malissa managed to carve some impressive jack-o-lanterns with just a big kitchen knife, without slicing Nikhil’s fingers, which were always in the way. On Halloween night we put candles in the pumpkins, and they looked fantastic.

Halloween night was magical – the streets were transformed into a fantasia of witches and zombies and fairies. The jack-o-lanterns glowing in the gardens, the children running up and down the streets, the masked monsters answering the doors to hand out candy – it made me want to be a kid again.
We dressed the kids up – Nikhil was an American Indian, and Ariane wore her birthday Rock Star outfit. They went trick-or-treating with Christian (Jason and Malissa’s 7-month old son) who was adorable in a cow outfit. We just let Nikhil hold a candy bucket, not Ariane, and he came home with WAY too much candy! We put it in the cupboard and he’s allowed to choose one piece a day (although he always ends up having two). At night Brad and I raid the bucket and substantially reduce the stash. We consider it our duty to limit the amount of sugar our children consume. Ahem.
I had a moment when a big bunch of kids stood at a door in front of us, and the owner opened the door and the kids shouted “Trick or treat!” – I suddenly realized that I’m in America! That was when it truly hit me.
We thoroughly enjoyed the first event of the holiday season. Looking forward to Thanksgiving now...