Halloween with the Kranks—2021

I suppose since it was well into October when we got back from Florida, that I didn't want to bother with putting up the Halloween decor. I think the real reason though is because there is a crack in the system.

A few years ago, Ava expressed how STOOPID she thinks Halloween decorations are. How it is basically a STOOPID holiday, altogether. We scoffed at her, but her reasoning began to take root. 

There is a house I pass multiple times a day, who went gang-busters for Halloween. All I could think when I drove by was how STOOPID it looked! Guts and gore have never been my idea of fabulous fall décor, and this house took it to a whole new level. I had a comment every time I passed the house, "Where do they store all of it?" On Halloween night, after delivering treats, I drove by slowly with Graham. He was pretty creeped out. We stopped out front to hear what the automated doll was saying, "You have till the count of three to beat it!" We only made it to two before I gunned it.

Ha-ha. I guess you could say, "I could leave the house, but I couldn't leave it alone…"

In the week leading up to Halloween, Callie took it upon herself to set some décor around the house. She carved and painted pumpkins with friends, and even ordered her own costume!

We did stick with our tradition the Monday before, by enjoying our own little monster bash, which included mummy dogs and homemade donuts. 

Mallerie texted from Hawaii wanting to know the songs on our Kid's Halloween CD to share with her own little goblins. We popped that in the player and did the monster mash. Katrina and her friends were throwing a clever party where they each came dressed as a different Taylor Swift. I would expect nothing less!

For as much as Ava poo-poos Hallows Eve, she wanted me to text her a photo of her cheese grater costume to show her companion. Classic. I sent it to Gray as well to wish him a Happy Halloween. He wrote back, "I liked getting that picture."

Bocas Halloween circa 2012

No trick, Romney and Austin got to say hello to Mal and Gav in Hawaii! I liked getting that picture.

Saturday night, I picked up a jack-o-lantern pizza from Papas (first time I've been in since Gray left). In-between reading my interactive Math textbook, I gave out chips to trick-or-treaters, while Graham and Matt watched the BYU football game. When Callie got home, she sorted her candy on the floor. She left it there overnight. None of the older kids could have ever gotten away with that! 

Though I only had one child to photograph, I still took six pictures.

Grandma called to say she wanted to come to bring the kids some candy and a gift for Callie, the next day. She said, "I know it will be after Halloween, but…" I said, "No, it IS Halloween." We enjoyed ghost chili and ghost cupcakes.

We cozied up for Toy Story of Terror downstairs and then Callie watched another movie in the living room while waiting for the Sunday batch of trick-or-treaters to come. They came!

The theme of our evening seemed to be ghosts. Callie delighted us with a levitating ghost trick, which was done by lighting the edge of a teabag on fire. It left the curious cross-eyed, and Grandma delighted.

So, like the Kranks, we may have avoided it, but in the end, we celebrated how we usually do. 

We crossed our eyes and dotted our teas.