Halloween 2013

In 10 years of trick-or-treating, we've seen a picture of the economy in stop-motion. The over-the-top haunted constructions dwindled into dark doorsteps and a few stalwart holdfasts. Then a ripple of buckets left unattended with "take 1" signs, the smallest of efforts to participate in lean times. Then neighbors rallied and put up tents for pizza and music and a communal cauldron of candy. New crops of military families appeared where homes had to be sold, and lights began to go on again, with beefy young men getting spirited with beer and horror props. This year the kids were chased around by a man in a hockey mask and fake chainsaw while his buddies facepalmed in the doorway with cups of beer and yelled, "Dude! The babies! You're scaring the little kids!" over the braying roar. The candy haul has diminished from two pillowcases to half a plastic pumpkin over the course of a decade, but the life is back in the neighborhood. 

My kids are weenies about putting their hands in pumpkin guts. They draw the designs on with marker and then run away when I pull out the knives, leaving me to carve them with a face full of mini Snickers poached from the trick-or-treat bucket. The system works for me.

We left my mother and aunt to hand out loot and ran off with the herd of children. The cousins only had to be reminded a couple times not to complain about the candy going into their buckets and not to wail, "PENCILS?!" at the neighbor across the street. You would think that after 10 years, that lady would get tired of ungrateful kids yelling "PENCILS?!" at her, but she is on a crusade.

Zenny opted out of her stroller and finished the tour of the neighborhood on my hip, arm outstretched to lead the way, calling, "YEAH YEAH YEAH." She's pretty great.

Also, she likes me better. Ha.

The boys unloaded their loot. The small cousin sprawled on the floor and crammed candy grimly into his face, promising that he planned to throw up - until we promised to take away his candy; the large cousin started rummaging everyone else's piles and trying to wheedle away their best bits. We broke it all up with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and glasses of milk while I chucked the baby into bed.

It was a good year.