This Halloween is a big one for our family. It’s the first time that we are doing the traditional suburban trick-or-treating. The girls have been talking about it for weeks. They see all of the scary decorations in our neighborhood, have talked about it with their friends at school, and even picked out their Halloween costumes months in advanced.
Pottery Barn Kids sent the kids their costumes and they could not have been more excited to try them on. After looking through the catalog dozens of times, they decided on what they were going to be this year – The Princess and the Frog and a fairy. Can you tell Harlan had something to do with Macks’ costume? Anything she can do to have him involved and she jumps at the chance.
We’ve had these Trick-or-Treat Bags since the kids first Halloween, but this is the very first year that they will be able to fill them up by going door-to-door. In previous years, we’ve gone to a street in our neighborhood in Manhattan, that was lined with townhouses, but it was was filled to the brim with people. While it was fun for the kids, it was an absolute madhouse. You had to push and shove to get through the crowd and get to each door. The girls accomplished their goal of getting candy, but it felt like we ran a marathon just to do it.
This year, things are going to be quite different. Here’s why I can’t wait to do Halloween the suburban way:
1. The Decorations – We’ve never been able to decorate for Halloween because the outside of our apartment went into a hallway. Even in our neighborhood in the city, there was very little Halloween decorations. This year we’ve already scouted out our favorite houses with the best decorations. We’ve seen scary pirate ships, ghosts, huge spiders, witches, and more! The girls can’t wait to stop by on Halloween night for trick-or-treating.
2. The Calmness – Halloween in the city is crazy. It’s a big deal to a lot of people and they go all out. Unfortunately that makes it a busy scene for all of our littles. While I expect to see a lot of people this year, it will be a lot more family oriented and we won’t have to push and shove just to get to the front door.
3. A Start of New Traditions – A couple of days ago we came home to find a treat by our front door telling us that we had been “Boo’d.” One of our neighbors had left a bag of treats for the girls and then we had to pass it on to two other neighbors. I don’t think I could wipe the smile off of my face for at least an hour. We already have plans to go to a friends house for dinner before hitting the streets this year. I hope we continue things like this year after year. This is what suburban life is all about.
4. The Costumes – I’ve never dressed up for Halloween with the kids because it was always too stressful trying to fight through the crowds while still keeping an eye on the kids. This year, the girls wanted us to dress up with them, and for the first time I thought…why not? They’ve picked out what they want us to be and we are all set to join the fun with them!
5. Trick-or-Treating – What is Halloween without the tradition of trick-or-treating? This year we are looking forward to going to actual doors of houses and not having the doorman at apartment buildings hand us the candy. Growing up, I have some of the fondest memories trick-or-treating from door to door with my family and friends and I hope the same for my children.
We hope you have a Happy Halloween!
{Disclosure: We did receive these costumes as a gift from Pottery Barn Kids. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for your support!}
