Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Humpy Halloween!

Trying to decide what TG and I should dress up as for Halloween.

I've narrowed it down to this:


This:


Or this:


(Are you sensing a theme here?)

Which one do you like best?

Okay, to be scrupulously honest here, we probably won't do any of those. Because, hey, they all look like work. Now that our kids are grown, there's only so much work we're willing to put into Halloween.

I'll buy tons of candy, yes. Well in advance, just *cough* in case the stores run out before the big day.

I'll put out the plastic Jack o'lantern with the stick-and-press light in it, and stay home, watching silly TV, jumping up every few minutes to give handfuls of choclate-y goodness to a fresh round of trick-or-treaters. (TG, when he doesn't have a show, participates in this activity with me, making it much more enjoyable. Plus, he helps keep me honest about how much candy I scarf down between little ghosts and Lady Gagas.)

I'll ooh and aah over visitors under five, heap tons of praise on any costume that looks homemade, and grudgingly give older teenagers one piece of hard candy each. (I mean, really, don't they have better things to do with their time? A party, maybe?)

Then, at about 9:30, I'll haul in the Jack o'lantern, turn off the porch light, and call it a night, gleefully eyeing the leftover candy, because (oops!) I will have over-bought again. Huh. You'd think I'd learn to estimate better. 

Do you celebrate Halloween? Any special traditions?

Oh, and you can still help me pick out a camel costume. TG will be home this year, and who knows? We may get motivated.

25 comments:

Teri Anne Stanley said...

I've always wanted to go as a push-me-pull-you, but never could get anyone to be the push-me (I have to be the pull-you).

I always sit in my next door neighbor's driveway and spend the whole night yelling at every kid who goes to my door-- "Hey, we're over here!". It's great fun, and I get lots of exercise yelling.

Anne Gallagher said...

I hate Halloween. I was scared badly as a kid and that has left me scarred for the rest of my life.
Honest.

I will however, take The Monster downtown for the annual "Halloween Walk" where the businesses give out candy. I don't like walking on our street, the cars go too fast.

Jessica Lemmon said...

I like your style! Maybe I'll get a bag of raisins for those surly teens. And, yeah, don't they have a party to go to? In all the movies, they are somewhere with a bonfire drinking underage.

Summer Frey said...

I told one of my friends I was going to pass out games and pencils instead of candy, and they said I was killing the Halloween spirit. I said I was killing childhood obesity! Ha!

Actually, though, I've never lived anywhere that got trick or treaters, so this will be a first! Hubby wont' be home, though. And our pumpkins are terrifyingly rotted out, so I should probably get rid of them before Monday...

Kerry Schafer said...

I vote for Camel Costume #1. As for Halloween, we now live where we get NO Trick or Treaters. Not a single one. And my kids are all those teenagers who should NOT be coming to your door, although I can't guarantee that they won't be, because probably I won't even by any candy. I know, I suck. We used to always carve pumpkins - that was my favorite part.

abby mumford said...

ahem. i trick-or-treated all the way through high school. what? it's FREE CANDY.

i live in an apartment, so no kids come to my door. i wish they would. i love seeing all the costumes!

Unknown said...

REally? Teenagers come to ask for candies? Wow.

Anyway, we don't celebrate Halloween so much here. Sure, in the supermarkets you see more candies and pumpkins and all, but it's not that big. In my neighborhood, for instance, no kid comes trick or treating.
Sometimes we just do Halloween-ish things, like bake cookies with the shape of skulls and stuff like that.

Have a great Halloween! <3
Oh and costume #1!!!

Deborah Small said...

I love Halloween. Or at least sitting at home snug on the sofa sipping wine, and popping up periodically to dish out candy, whilst DH trundles around in the cold, often snowy, dark with the little 'uns collecting even more candy--oh. Wait. The little 'uns are gangly teens now -- and yes, they still want to Trick-or-Treat because they're not allowed to go to parties or engage in destructive egg or pumpkin' throwing activities and they still Love the spirit of Halloween and are, in truth, children trapped in gawky bodies. So please don't begrudge the candy - behind the pimples and spotty facial hair is a little boy in Power Ranger boxers. :)

Happy Almost Halloween!
Deb

Trisha Leigh said...

I am actually a total fun hater when it comes to Halloween. It's never been my favorite holiday, so I don't buy candy, leave the porchlight off, and hide in my basement.

I do watch a scary movie or two on the day, and the weeks before are some of my favorite television of the entire year because of all the Haunted History, Haunted Travels, etc.

One year I went out, got home after 9, and didn't turn out the porch light. Some kid rang the doorbell at like 9:30, and I had to rummage through the kitchen. He got a 100 Calorie Pack. I'm sure he was thrilled.

Jen Stayrook said...

Your poor, poor husband. Pick the last one.

I don't have any Halloween traditions. Hubs and I on major holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) watch all of the holiday-themed episodes of friends, but for the most part, I'm a grump like Trisha. Except, I hide in the basement nom-noming candy like a drug addict trying to get ONE MORE HIT, MAN.

I assume having a child will change all of this.

Crap.

jill said...

I'm terribly boring and unimaginative when it comes to costumes for myself, but would sew whatever the daughters wanted for theirs.

We've mostly lived where there are no trick-or-treaters (rural-ish with no shoulders or sidewalks on the dark streets), so we'd drive the kids to a nearby neighborhood where they could join their friends.

As teens, their high school dram program always collected canned food for a food drive on Halloween. As they said 'people think we're so nice for doing this, they give us candy, too!'.

Al said...

We don't do Halloween down in Oz.

Sarah Tokeley said...

The first costume is best, it looks cuddly :-)

Halloween isn't that big a deal here, but we do get trick or treaters. Everyone in costume gets sweeties, but that doesn't mean a plastic mask from the local shop. I make exceptions for frazzled, cold adults with small children. I've been there :-)

Patsy said...

I like the last costume best. It has nice feet.

LD Masterson said...

I've got an idea. Why don't you go as a camel?

Emily R. King said...

Okay, those are awesome costumes. Which one should you choose? Choices, choices, choices... : )

Dianne K. Salerni said...

My daughter put together an awesome Doctor Who costume for herself this year. I told her I totally wanted to steal if for next year.

She said, "I don't think you'll fit in the pants."

That was a low, low, low blow.
(Although correct.)

Crystal Posey said...

I actually just posted about our past Halloweens vs this one. Usually it's so rushed, but this year I was able to plan in advance. It feels more like a month long celebration rather than a rushed-one-night deal. It is so much better.

Happy Halloween!

P.S. I look forward to reading your blog again. It's been too long!

Delia said...

Costume #3, definitely. Campy camels are the best camels.

I live in the woods, so I don't get trick-or-treaters. Which would be nice, if it didn't also mean I have to travel to take the kids around. So, we pile the kids in the car, drive fifteen minutes to a marginally larger town, and trick-or-treat there. Then, I engage in the tradition of sneaking candy from the kids' buckets when they're not looking.

Michele Shaw said...

My wee ones still go out and we'll be giving out candy by the handful, so it'll be a busy night!

Linda G. said...

Teri Anne -- Now, that's my kind of exercise!

Anne -- Aww. Sorry for your Halloween trauma. Sounds like a good tradition you have going with The Monster, though.

Jessica -- LOL! Raisins -- the Halloween kiss of death.

Summer -- Ha! Pencils? Careful, or your house might get egged. ;)

Kerry -- You should still buy lots of (good chocolate) Halloween candy, just in case. Be prepared! ;)

Abby -- LOL! Oops. Well, as long as you dressed up, it's okay.

Monica -- But it's such a good excuse to eat candy!

Deb -- LOL! Hey, as long as the teenagers are sincere, and in costume, I don't really mind.

Trisha -- And he didn't even TP your house after that 100 Calorie Pack? Wow. You got lucky. ;)

Jen -- Ha! No, you don't have to change. You just have to shift your bad habits until after his bedtime. ;)

Jill -- Hey, that's a good thing for the teenagers to do. I'd "tip" with candy for that, too. :)

Al -- Awww. So sad.

Sarah -- You're a kind woman. :)

Patsy -- It does have nice feet, doesn't it?

LD -- Whoa. That's something to consider... ;)

E.R. -- I know! Tough, huh?

Dianne -- Doctor Who -- that's so cool! I'm jealous. And kids are always hit the lowest with those blows. Don't worry. They'll get it all back someday, when they have their own kids. ;)

Crystal -- Hi there! Good to see you again. Happy Leisurely Halloween! :)

Delia -- Campy is always good for Halloween. And I approve of your "tradition." ;)

Michele -- Have fun! :)

Carol Kilgore said...

I think you should choose the camel costume for Halloween :)

Kimberly Sabatini said...

My kids hate me because I have an orange shirt that says...This is my costume. To jazz it up last year I got one of those big spiders and wrapped it around my abdomen. I'm Haloweenie like that. :o)

Missy Olive said...

I like camel #3. You guys should suck it up and do the work. Last year we went as Reno 911 characters. It was fun. We were both snow stuck this year and missed the party.

Our kids are still pretty young so we let them get all dressed up and then we take them door to door. This year, I may be driving. I. do. not. like. cold.

What kind of shows does TG do?

Linda G. said...

Carol -- LOL! I dunno. We may decide on the camel instead. ;)

K-pop -- Ha! I love that. Well, maybe not the spider *shudders*, but the shirt.

Missy Olive -- Halloween is more fun when the kids are young. :) TG is the production manager at a theater that has all different kinds of musicians from fall through spring, and showcases opera in the summer. He mixes sound, and often records the musicians & produces CDs for them.