Happy Halloween!

Halloween is a most excellent celebration. It combines fantasy, fun and giving in one scrumptious package that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. And let's face it - who does not enjoy dressing up in a costume? Be it scary, dignified or wildly imaginative it feels good to assume a character and it is giddy fun to see our friends do the same. One of my precious students created the artwork on the left of me as 'The Man with the Yellow Hat' from the Curious George book series. My love of that little monkey is no secret so this was not a great leap for me. I did try to talk Lauren into dressing up as Curious George so our costumes would be in sync, as they were last year when we were both cheerleaders. At the time we led the school in an original cheer complete with choreographed leaps and manly lifts which brought hoots and hollers from the students and staff alike. But this year, she politely demurred, opting instead for the quiet elegance of a ballerina.

My costume though was a big hit. When I stepped into the courtyard I had so many children run up to hug me that I was honestly afraid that someone would get hurt or that I would tumble backwards and squash a few of them. So I just stood very still and tried to keep my balance. Unfortunately the costume was one of those one size fits all, over the clothes deals, which means that in every picture I have of me in it I look dumpy and out of shape. My tenuous vanity will not allow for posting of such pictures so they shall remain locked in the vaults to haunt me at a later date. I did take one of the my big floppy hat and George that I can share. Isn't he the cutest?

The anticipation, which begins on the first of October, is another aspect of Halloween that is inescapable. Children share costume ideas and chat wildly with one another about their grand plans - the trips to the party store, goody bags, parties. As in years past superheroes continued to be the ticket with the young set.

We had two black Spider-Man costumes...

Captain America...

and an incredible artist rendering of said Captain...

A Blue Power Ranger, Bat Girl. a transformer. an angel, a princess and variations on these.

We asked our students to write a 'scary, spooky Halloween story' to share and I have included some of these below.

This one says "Two little girls went into a haunted house". Take a careful look on the roof of the house and you will find Dracula waiting for them with outstretched arms by the light of a crescent moon.

This one reads "This is a scary house and there are witches in the air". This witch is flying on a carpet instead of the usual broom. It does seem more comfortable.

This one is my favorite "This little boys name is Billy. He can never take his costume off. His dad told him a scary story." It reminds me of a an episode of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. Everyone became the character they were dressed up as, meaning that the slayer became a damsel in distress who got knocked about until the spell was reversed. Buffy had some good Halloween episodes.

By far the scariest, spookiest story we read this year was Tell me a Scary Story...but not too Scary by Carl Reiner. We told this one with the lights out, sitting on the floor with lots of drama. The kids were laughing and screaming and generally enjoying being six years old at Halloween.

For those of us in the room who were a little older than six it was a time to ponder the magic of childhood, fantasy and sheer 'in the momentness'. How wonderful for me that I get to experience all of this, in one way or another, everyday!

The above is from The Hallo-Weiner by Dav Pilkey. A Halloween favorite.