Here in Wisconsin with Halloween falling at the end of October, last night’s evening of trick or treating in the 50’s was down right balmy. In this fine state, it’s good to be a gorilla for Halloween, a full-sized bag of M&M’s would work nicely or if you dressed as the Abominable Snowman in his best rain gear, you’d be set for a night out trick or treating in Wisconsin – no matter what.
Of course, my girls have never wanted to be any of these things.
Which means that every year, (in the last frantic hour of leaving the house cause that’s how we do things around here) I’m promoting layers under costumes and (on exceptionally cold years) jackets over them. Last year, I gave up, threw my hands in the air and John and I just showed all the concerned parents that we did, in fact, have warm clothing and shoes for our poorly clad children… whenever they were ready for it.
This year, they did better (perhaps last year’s cold toe memories did some good?) and when I talked up the benefits of layers under costumes, I was at least partially heard, some layers were added but, of course, not quite as many as were recommended…
And so, last night, while following chilly children down the sidewalk, I decided I had it all wrong. I’ve always hated Halloween (except for those tiny Milky Way bars) but I should love it. Because Halloween is the ultimate “I told you so” holiday for mothers. Not that I would stoop so low as to look my darling, freezing children with their shivering buckets of candy in the eye and actually form the worlds “I told you so.” (I mean, I do want them to share those tiny candy bars.) But I do believe at least one “Cold? Reeeaaally?! Huh.” may have escaped me.
Eventually Glinda the Good Witch and I retired to the warmth of the truck, (those of us who live in the country have to drive into town to go trick or treating) which may have been because she was cold, though I suspect that was only a ruse (that girl is Elsa through and through and the cold has never bothered her anyway) and that the real issue was the miniature zombies in the dark. Tiny people dressed as zombies are terrible, please don’t let anyone convince you otherwise, and I was happy to sit in the warm truck with her away from those little, creepy, candy collectors.
Now, I’m sure you are concerned about my mini candy bar collection with one kid out of the trick or treating. Thankfully our Wicked Witch of the West was not so wicked after all. She, the shyest of all, spent all night asking if she could take a piece of candy for her little sister and returned to the truck with an overflowing bucket for the good witch. And, luckily for me, her little sister is very good at sharing.
This morning I’m thinking that Jane’s got the right idea. Next year I’m going to promote a Tinker Bell costume and make sure to casually mention that no one will ever know who she is if she wears a jacket over the top of it. Of course then the many suggested layers will be refused and when she inevitably becomes chilly I’ll still be able to roll my eyes in the dark, think a satisfying, “I told you so” and hide in a nice warm truck. As long as her sisters continue to be so generous we will even have a nice stash of Milky Ways at the end of the evening.
Perhaps I could learn to love this holiday after all.
Behind the Willows 
Ooo, this post has everything — a generous witch, scary zombies, candy love and some nefarious plots and schemes. 😀
I aim to please! 🙂
The girls look adorable, especially the littlest witch of them all! I did not come across any mini zombies this year but I agree with you on that one: more creepy than cute 😵
Well if you of all the scary things agree then they must be creepy!
Hahaha! 😂 Oh that reminds me, I’ve got two episodes of ‘The Exorcist’ on DVR that I need to catch up on 😆
*hides under blanket with fingers in ears* ….La La La I Can’t hear you…
Lol!
Heh, heh, heh … silver lining, eh? 😀
Oh gosh… yeah… I’m always trying to find the silver linings in my writing on here. I probably should have more accurately named this blog Silver Linings or something else like that but just the thought of it makes me roll my eyes and throw up a little in my mouth. So instead I talk about not turning into a ferret and eating my children, but you caught me, gotta find those silver linings. 😉
Their costumes are brilliant 🙂
I always remember the thrill of trick or treating as a child and the home made costumes we made. We call it ‘guising’ in Scotland, though not here in England apparently. I’ve discovered more than a few different traditions this year. Apparently no-one here has heard of the alternative method of ‘dooking’ for apples using a fork (and again, it’s ‘apple bobbing’ here apparently) and eating scones hanging from string..
I will admit to being more than a little unnerved by horror films! Like you, I just don’t choose to watch a film for scares. I’d rather watch anything but. The closest we got on Halloween was watching Invasion of the Body Snatchers with a young Donald Sutherland.. I still had a nightmare about squishy body parts :-S
Love your Halloween posts.. i’ve just been clicking back through them.. those kids and their poor frozen toes! 🙂
With a fork?!? But how? I need to go get an apple….
I “let them” (read made them watch it because they were irritating and I knew they would love it after they were done having the pee scared out of them by flying monkeys) watch The Wizard of Oz a few months ago and they’d been talking up their plan ever since (though Johns mom pulled it all together for them). John and I were supposed to be in on it as the tin man and the lion but we were too busy bird hunting to prepare. I wore my cowboy hat and went as the flying monkey wrangler instead. 🙂
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