Halloween

When did Halloween become such a big holiday?  The stores start putting the stuff a month early, (which is when you know you really made it) there are tons of parties, many opportunities for trick or treating, and decorations.  When I was a kid (Yes, I am so old, now, that I have started many sentences with those 5 words.) we dressed up in our drug store costumes (which were made out of very hot plastic and I am sure are still languishing in a landfill somewhere) and begged trick or treated for candy.  Then it was home for mom to plifer check for razor blades in our candy.  AH, the good ole days!

Now, parents try to out do each other with the most “look at how wonderful my kids are they picked a non-mainstream costume” and the most original non-candy treat.  Or so I hear around the Internet.  Down here in the Boonies, Deep South, we like to keep to the old school of things.  People sit out with their fire pits (a must if it drops below 70 degrees), hand out big handfuls of candy, the kids look like they stepped right out of the TV, and YES, you will see the adults walking around with beers in their hand.  Why should Halloween be any different?  There is not much done around these parts without beer in  hand.  No biggie, everyone is responsible.  The best part is the “hayride”.  Well, it is basically just a tractor pulling a flatbed trailer with ice chests and chairs on the back.  Don’t give us too much slack, we have large plots and walking, especially for the short-legged, gets tiring quick.  We stuck to our wagon and stroller, except when SoHubby decided to hitch a ride on the back of the trailer. 

Halloween at the Old Homestead:

It seems we have a pest problem.
I better get our Orkin man on the phone, quick!
At the very least, ask for a refund.  I don’t think that last visit took.

Around Halloween, we get fancy.
Meet our lovely welcomers.
Hey, if  Walmart can have them, so can we.

Damn!  I thought I saw Uncle Earl leave after our last party.
I guess he was too drunk to drive, so he just hung around.

Neighborhood fun:

Hey, when are we going to get this party started?
Sam had picked out a nice (read $20) Ironman costume, only to decide he wanted
to be Batman, again.  Something tells me that Sam will be Ironman, whether he likes
it or not, next Halloween.

This one is not shy.  This was our first house and she had no problem setting down her
bucket and parking in front of the fire pit.
Amber, also, decided to change her costume at the last-minute.
She started out wearing a green dance costume, only to change to this dance costume.
When asked what she was, “Cupid’s big sister”.
Whatever, she was in a costume and that is all that is required on Halloween.

The hayride, just replace hay with ice chests and lawn chairs.

Last stop, the Storytellers’.
Where the rides are free, the potato soup is hot and the father of your children
is either a monk or the Grimreaper.  It all depends on the mask at the time.