Halloween...Over in the Blink of an Eye

As with most holidays, Halloween has a lot of build-up.  The stores stock up on costumes, pumpkin buckets, and loads of candy in advance only to have them all ripped off the shelves by the end of the month.  Adults plan out their attire for Halloween parties, and kids change their minds a million times before settling on a costume Mom and Dad can't find in the store.  Remember when all we wore was a mask with a tiny hole to breathe through, held onto our heads with a thin string, and a long, colored plastic tarp that was supposed to resemble the outfit of our favorite character?  And yet, we go through so much trouble for a day that passes in the blink of an eye.

I usually put more effort into this holiday.  I set out my decorations at the beginning of October, begin collecting recipes to make for our Halloween party, ponder what costume I should wear, and envision Saturday afternoons carving pumpkins and sipping apple cider...but all of this is not even close to what actually happened this month.  I have been swamped with photo shoots every weekend (a GREAT thing!), which means my free time has been spent editing pictures instead of shopping for a costume.  We really did buy a pumpkin, but it never got carved.  Our Halloween party was costume-free, and the decor was set out that day.  There were no gourmet recipes to be made, just bags of chips, a box of cookies, and chocolate candy set out in bowls.  

But I think we did a great job of setting the mood, and our friends enjoyed the lazy evening gathered around the island in our kitchen, scarfing down chips and dip and drinking spooky green punch. 

Some of us even managed to get a bit festive with our outfits.

The party was over in the blink of an eye, but we still had trick or treating to look forward to the next day.

Ava was old enough this year to dress up, carry a pumpkin bucket, and go door-to-door for some sweet treats.  She was a little slow, stopping often to watch the other kids or just to stare at the neighbor who was offering her candy.  But she caught on quickly and soon was filling her bucket, waving "bye-bye" to each neighbor as we went on our way.  And I must say, she was ridiculously cute in her black-and-white kitty outfit, courtesy of her friend Ella.  Hey, why buy a costume when you can borrow one?!  Thanks Ella!

Halloween may have passed us by in the blink of an eye, but I'd say we made the most of it!