Halloween on a country island- it’s the best.

Halloween is the biggest holiday and my favorite on our little island.  I love how the whole island turns out uptown for trick-or-treating.  Young and old are costumed up.  The streets are closed to cars.  And the businesses go hog wild turning their store fronts into spectacularly themed places.  I once walked into a real estate agency to discover it had been transformed into a cave– and all the agents were attired as cave men and women.  I think one of them was stirring a smoking cauldron cooking over a “fire”, and I remember some other ambient sounds being pumped in.  You couldn’t even tell it was an office.  Just standing there you could imagine the fun they had been having planning this all month, and the enjoyment they derived from putting it all together that day.

Perhaps originally it started because the houses are so far apart here.  You might have to walk down one long forested driveway for each house.  We only have a handful of real neighborhoods.  But however it started the tradition is in full force.

Even before I had kids I went to Halloween uptown.  It’s the most fun thing to do on this day.  You get to see everyone in costume, you chat with all your friends, and though we still mostly (not strictly) avoid the super sugar business with our tiny ones, there is candy galore!

My husband likes to come up with fun things we can be as a family.  I go along with it for the fun of it.  This year our plan is to be Goldilocks (our 19 month old girl) and the three bears.  Last year we went as Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, Thing 2, and me- Mother of Things.  In 2012 when I was pregnant with my daughter I was a oven with a bun in it, my husband was the baker, and our son was a piece of toast.

Last year I also wrote an ode to my girlfriend whose inspiration and closet often helps me produce costumes on the spot.  This year I don’t think I’ll need it– I’m keeping it simple. I plan to wear brown, and make ears!  Depending on the weather I may sport a long plush faux fur coat.

Happy Halloween everyone!