Into the Night to Save the Day!

Everything is different, so it’s pointless to make a big deal about the impact of Covid-19 on daily life and the impact on Halloween this year is no different. Masks and candy shoots seem par for the course in 2020.

However, for some reason (at least for a guy who really isn’t a fan of Halloween) this year seemed pretty fun. It was just enough and yet, it was still perfect for the kids.

A downtown stroll from small business to small business was just what the doctor ordered (pandemic pun intended). We ended the night with great neighbors and a lot laughs.

If there was ever a quote to exemplify our 2020 Family Costume this is it: “Night in the city, and a brave band of heroes is ready to face fiendish villains to stop them messing with your day.”

The Trick or Treat Snowman

Another Halloween… and another day of shoving my poor son (who doesn’t even like wearing normal clothes) in a costume as soft as sandpaper. Why do parents do this to their children? The last thing Jax wants to do before getting dropped off at day care is to put a 14 pound puffy cotton ball on his head.

Getting this kid ready in the morning takes a particular set of skills. Skills needed to have been acquired over a very long career of parenting. Skills that I apparently don’t have which makes mornings a nightmare for people like me (Taken reference). Yet today we decided to add 37 more steps to our morning routine by sending him to school dressed up as Olaf. Poor, poor, poor kid. He took it like a champ though… after ripping the Velcro open a few time and throwing his Olaf head at Buster.

Our first Halloween night where jax was old enough to “get it” was fun. The neighborhood fell under Little Olaf’s spell as they literally dumped candy into his bucket. He said a lot of please and thank yous and even ran into a little Elsa on the side walk and stopped for a quick hug!

Jax then had to begin handing out candy to the older kids before we realized the dogs ate two of the three bags of candy we bought. The final four kids come to the door. Stef says sorry we only have three pieces left and Jax carefully watches his last three snickers bars fall into open pillow cases. The last kid drops his head and is sad. Mind you there was a GIANT SIZE candy bar left of the counter… Stef literally sent a child away because she didn’t want to give up her last KitKat!!!

The night ended when I let the dogs out the front door because a huge crowd rolled up in a trailer hitched to a pickup. No more candy, lights out yet they still kept coming… the dogs took care of that. The dogs literally scared the poop out of hose high schoolers as kids were tripping over each other to get away.

And… fin.

Trick or Treat!

Jax’ First Halloweenie

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Halloween was never a favorite of mine.  I don’t eat candy nor was I ever a big proponent of scary movies, scary stories, etc.  But I guess if you can get past those issues and all the ridiculous pumpkin flavored crap being pushed than its not so bad of a holiday.  Mom seems to love it… she always enjoyed dressing up with her friends and going out… plus she loves candy.

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I haven’t been Trick or Treating since I was a kid… but this year we made it out to four houses with the little guy on his first halloween.  We’ve dressed up the pups for years, but never took them out (although they did win 1st and 2nd place in the costume contest at Doggie Day Care a few years back.

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It’s such an interesting holiday when you think about it… Let’s dress up in someone else’s clothes and walk around to people we don’t know and ask them for free stuff… better yet, lets ask them for chocolate and sugar, not money or something useful like that.  When we are done let’s take all that candy home and organize it and then eat a piece a day until 2047.

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Either way it was fun getting the little guy all dressed up as Pirate Captain Jack.  He enjoyed the attention walking around to houses and was even pretty skilled at shoving his hand into the bowl and pulling out a giant candy bar.  (As an aside, our neighbor Ron came bye to see Jax and told us his youngest finally asked to go out with his friends on his own).  It was sort of a passing of the torch.  All in all, fall, pumpkins, candy and kids go together, so we better join in and enjoy!

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“Ahoy, me Hearties. It is I Cap’n Jack Come join me tonight as I plunder these here houses for bountiful booty!” #FirstHalloween #CaptainJack #Pirate #Booty