Trick or Treat

My having an October birthday has meant many, many Halloween themed parties over the years.  Then my youngest daughter came into the world on October 30 and we had two in the family born close to that veil between the living world and the dead.  I was actually finishing costumes for my two oldest children when I went into labor.  When each of my children were old enough,  I made costumes and drove my kids to other neighborhoods or attended church events on Halloween.  Unfortunately, the neighborhood we lived in for nearly twenty years was not conducive to trick-or-treaters and in all of those years we had exactly three trick-or-treaters…TOTAL. So when we moved into a large neighborhood ten years ago, we decided to make up for lost time and really went all out for the day.  At the time, my kids (and I) were obsessed with Harry Potter, so the wizarding world became our theme for the yard decorations.  Each year since then, we have added a little more to the spectacle and the number of small ghosts, ghouls, princesses and superman costumed children who frequent our house has grown as well.  

Last year, I counted over 200 trick-or-treaters on Halloween.  

Now, it seems that people come to OUR neighborhood from their less festive ones to fill their bags of candy.  My husband and I are planning on building our retirement home in the middle of 40 acres in the middle of nowhere and that retirement day is getting closer.  Unless I discover the energy to build some type of hay maze, our large scale Halloween decorations will soon be in the history bin.  I plan on making the most of the few years we have left.  Do you do anything special for Halloween?

– Mary AAR