Halloween with Sound Effects

Last night sounded like a Halloween movie.... thunder with some lightning, and pouring rain which lasted for half of the two-hour Trick-or-Treating time for the kids. When the rain let up, however, there was a ghostly mist hanging in the air which was a perfect backdrop for the kids and their costumes. Thankfully, the rain didn't start up again till after 9:00 and by then, all the trick-or-treat kids were back in their homes.

The trick-or-treaters must have been waiting by their doors for the rain to stop because as soon as it did, I heard kids walking around the streets and singing out their "Boos!" and "Eeeeeks!" We had about two dozen children come by, which is just a little less than the number we usually get.

The best costume last night had to be the teenaged boy dressed up to look like a tree. It was a beautiful homemade costume that made his body look like the trunk of a tree, and his head, shoulders and arms looked like branches filled with green leaves. The entire costume was made of a felt or fleece, and the detailed stitches on the green leaves and the brown trunk made the boy as tree-like as possible. The only human thing you could see on him were his eyes.... even his hands were covered with felt-leaf gloves. His shoes were covered in the same brown felt as his body, so his feet looked like roots. The brown felt had lots of black stitching in it, to make it look like the bark of a tree.

The kids had fun, and that's the most important part of last night. Once again, I didn't give out any candy. I had two boxes of "treats" for the kids last night, one marked "For Girls," the other marked "For Boys." The kids were thrilled with the red-devil glitter-wigs, the coloring books, Halloween stories and puzzles, Groucho-Marx glasses, fancy pencil & ruler sets, spider rings, bat-bracelets, Halloween stickers, pumpkin pendants, ghost necklaces, vampire pendants.... the surprises were a big hit..... and the kids always seem to appreciate them more than just another bag of candy.