I am the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of Halloween. I have enjoyed it over the years--we have had some great gatherings (Tilton Drive!!)--and I will always be willing to participate with my kids. But it definitely ranks with Valentine's Day on my personal list of unnecessary holidays.
It seems that a lot of the UK feels the same way that I do. Trick-or-treating, big parties, and elaborate decorations are more of an American thing, but they are slowly trickling over here. There were some celebrations and candy to be found, but in no way is the "holiday" as recognized here.
But despite Mommy being a Halloween Scrooge. . .the Brummel family did observe Halloween!
We carved pumpkins Saturday afternoon:
Charlotte's first pumpkin carving. . .she got right in there and loved it!!
Mmmmmmm. . .pumpkin! (Blech!)
On Sunday we went to West Lodge Rural Farm for their Annual Halloween Party. Because we decided to wait until after Charlotte's nap to go, we did miss some of the events/activities that would have been fun for the kids (like piglet racing!). But the girls still got to wear their costumes, see some animals, walk through the Spooky Walk, and visit the witch in her house. All in all, the weather was good and we had a pretty good time.
Maggie as Flower, the Cat.
Hannah was originally going to be Dorothy, but we ordered the costume and it was a bit too big. So she pulled this dress (which was my flower girl dress when I was five or so) out of our costumes box and came up with the idea to be a mixture of Dorothy and Glinda, the Good Witch. Very original!
Charlie was absolutely delighted by the animals. . .she spent the whole time squealing at them and running from cage to cage.
Driving tractors (of varying sizes). . .making Grandpa proud! (Of course, none of them are the right color!)
Monday was, of course, a school day. . .St. Peter's--like most schools--doesn't celebrate, so Charlotte wore her costume and the big girls had to wait until after school. Keith and I weren't quite sure what to expect by way of trick-or-treating, and I was glad to hear the the church group Hannah goes to every Monday night (Don Bosco) was having a party. Maggie was able to attend, so they had a fun party with friends from school.
When the big girls got home, Daddy took them trick-or-treating to a few houses around ours; they didn't get much for candy, but I would say they had a good Halloween. We learned that there are some villages around us that go all out for Halloween and that if you are trick-or-treating look for a pumpkin in the front window--that is a sign it is okay to ring the bell. (I found that out when I lit the girls' pumpkins and put them in the window just before they got back from Don Bosco--within seconds the doorbell that had been silent all evening rang!) Next year we will be ready. . and maybe I will find some extra Halloween spirit!!
Hannah's
Maggie's
Charlotte's
