This was the first Halloween that the boys really got the idea behind the whole thing. They knew what they wanted to be (Sammy – Pumpkin, Declan – Ghost) and they knew that they wanted to get themselves a lot of candy. And they sure did!
First, let’s have a closeup of each of the boys!
Sammy, the pumpkin:
Declan, the ghost:
Now, Halloween has never been one of my favorite holidays. Once I realized I could just buy myself the candy that I liked without having to dress up like a vampire and beg door to door I was pretty over it. However, since I am a dad now (which seems like some sort of mix up, if you ask me) I had to dress up. Here I am as a pumpkin (as picked by the boys):
Our 2022 Halloween actually started before Halloween, because that Saturday a bunch of stores near us were hosting trick or treaters (one assumes because it is fun and also in the hopes that the kids might pop into Tiffany to get some candy and mom and dad might buy a diamond tennis bracelet whilst there).
Before we headed out to trick or treat the boys ran around in our building’s front garden for awhile:
The most exciting thing for the little boys was the giant crane parked in front of our building hoisting AC equipment to the top of a building.
And good thing that crane was there and the street was closed because just as we started walking towards the stores to trick or treat Sammy vomited all over the sidewalk (a couple of times). We’ve been dealing with two sick kids for, seemingly, the last 3 months. It seems to have finally cleared up, but for awhile Sammy would run around and then cough so much that he would vomit.
Super gross.
Since Sammy still wanted to trick or treat we took a moment to watch the crane on the curb as everyone re-settled into their bodies:
Once everyone’s stomachs settled we hit the stores. We had to pick up a map at a local bank, and they were also giving out candy. The man at their stand presented a large bowl of candy to Sammy and said, “Take as much as you like!” Sammy took several handfuls; much more than the man was expecting I think. Declan, on the other hand, only took one. That process pretty much repeated itself as we visited several stores. Sammy didn’t last that long, but it certainly felt like they got a good trick or treating experience.
We live in a big apartment building, which hosts trick or treating on Halloween for the kids that live in the building. That means we could hit a bunch of houses on Halloween without actually leaving the building, an ideal solution for me!
We spooked up our doorway:
Popped on our costumes, were joined by a friend, and headed out to find some frickin’ treats:
The boys are something of mini-celebrities in our building which is largely populated by old Jewish people, so even though they only had the stamina to visit a handful of floors they managed to get a huge candy haul. That may have had something to do with their trick or treating technique. They would knock, and as soon as the door opened they’d just walk into the person’s apartment. We tried to stop them, but they were like, “What’s the problem? I need some candy!” And candy they got.
It was fun to see how much the boys enjoyed themselves, but I enjoyed getting glimpses into our neighbors’ apartments without having to engage in much conversation. Plus we got candy. What more can you ask for?