Tuesday, November 03, 2009

The Lost Art

There is so much to Halloween nowadays. Back in the day you just went trick or treating once, where you went door to door, rang on doorbells. You know, you really had to work for your candy. Nowadays, you have the trunk or treat at the church, the school party, the trick or treating at dad's work, and then finally the night of trick or treating, but by that point you have so much candy in the house, you start wondering if you are actually a share holder in the amalgam business. I seriously don't like trunk or treats and here is why. It's just a line of kids, moving slowly with their hands and bags (sometimes pillowcases, darn teenagers) held out, waiting mindlessly for some guy in a witch hat to put candy in their bag. Where is the sport in that? There is no walking up patio steps, no ringing doorbells, no sing song "trick or treat" and "thank you", no preening in your costume at each house as the old ladies try to guess what kinda princess/scary murderer you are. It's over in 20 minutes at trunk or treats. Why don't they just spare us the assembly line and hand each of us a bag of candy as we pull through the parking lot? We don't even have to stop. A drive-thru trick or treat is just as sporting.

Do I sound cynical? A week of non-stop eating candy has done that to me.

I made the girls costumes this year- loved Morgans, wished I wouldn't have attempted Claire. Claire wore hers to the trunk or treat and then the rest of the week I let her wear a dress up dress with wings. Morgan really got the concept of trick or treating this year. She thinks it is the best idea in the whole world, that she dresses up in a costume and people hand her candy. She wakes everyone morning and nap, demanding more chocolate.

{A sweet moment, Claire helping Morgan feel better after she fell and skinned her knee}


{An awkward moment, just trying to get a sisters picture}


As much as I love Halloween, I am glad it is over. And that it is now November. I am having a baby in November. Who will most likely be born on a sugar high. Sorry, baby boy.

19 comments:

Cara said...

Amen about the trunk or treats. We had way too much candy by the time Halloween night actually came. Overkill. So what was Claire's original costume???

tharker said...

We are so candied out it's not even funny. I'm afraid my baby will need to go on a sugar detox when she's born, it's that bad!

Love Morgan's costume, and even more than that, I LOVE that she is making that same face in the "sisters" picture that she did at the lame pumpkin patch slides! So funny!

Claire looks so cute, and TALL!

JoDell said...

I agree...my kids are seriously going to have fifty cavities (if that's possible :). I'm ready for the candy to magically disappear. My kids are making sure that happens.

CUTE costumes and pictures. I love the first one of Morgan--she looks so excited. And, the sisters picture is so classic.

By the way, I love reading your blog. You are such a good writer. I hope you write a book someday.

Y's creations said...

The kids look so cute and it looks like they had a great time. You did a great job on the costumes. I hope they come down from the sugar high before I get there.

Liz said...

You should come to our trunk or treat. It is complete mayhem with three wards combining for a chili cook-off, spooky kids' games around the church building, and trunk or treating around the most awesomely-decorated trunks our stake has to offer! :D (And no, I won't be going back next year. It was a bit too wild and chaotic for my liking . . . but the chili was good!). :D

When are you due, Brooklyn? My boys' birthdays are the 11th and 18th. November is a great month for us! :D Good luck with everything!!

Elise said...

I don't know about your church parking lot but the one here was really dark and kind of creepy. I'm not a big fan of the trunk or treat, not to mention you can't duck out early b/c everyone will see you leaving!

Elise said...

Costumes look awesome by the way, awesome.

Monica said...

Dear Brooke,

You are absolutely right about trunk or treats. They are evil. Don't go to them.

Love, Monica

p.s. Morgan's costume turned out so cute. I love her excited look in the first picture.

p.p.s. I am on the verge of throwing out the rest of our candy. I can't handle the constant nagging, "can I have a piece of candy?" and feeling like absolute cr@p because I ate too much of the d@rn stuff. I use the term "verge" loosely because realistic Monica knows that I am such a pig and wouldn't allow for such a thing. It probably won't get tossed.

Libby said...

yay for november!!! i am with you on the whole trunk or treating thing- lame. cute costumes.

Carrie said...

I am so with you on the trunk or treat thing. I used to LOVE trick or treating, and trunk or treating doesn't even compare. It is easier with little kids, though, which is the main reason it's what we've been doing the last few years. I think in a couple of years we're going to bump Halloween u a notch and start doing the real thing.

Your girls look adorable, by the way. They're both so beautiful. I can't wait to see what your little man is going to look like!

Bethany said...

We added a chili cook-off to our trunk-or-treat and it has kinda turned into an outside carnival for say. Some people in the community actually come now and it is alot of fun. Traditional trunk-or-treating just needs a little spiceing up!

Bethany said...

Oh yes, and my little Mattie loved halloween also. It's a fun age isn't it.
Shannadoah Valley leaves have already fallen. When we got there, they were mostly gone up top.

tiraje said...

The costumes are adorable! Great job! Your girls are so cute.

Linda said...

Cute costumes! And I agree with the trunk or treats, a drive thru version would be nice though.

Jana said...

You really are one of my very most favorite people!!! I totally agree about the lost art. Our ward didn't do a trunk or treat. Too lazy. You know. . . to buy a bag of candy, sit there and dump it into bags. And guess what we did this year to help decrease all the candy? First, I ate TONS of it after the kids went to bed. Second, the Halloween Witch came the next morning and left books and a small toy in place of the candy. (But I felt bad taking all of it after all that hard work in the freezing weather so I left the kids each a couple of handfuls). :) I Thought you might like that idea given your history with Santa and all. Anything to take the magic away!!! :)

Shells said...

Totally agree with you on too much candy, but I like the multiple opportunities to show off costumes that I spent a lot of time on. I miss the ward halloween parties we had as kids, with doughnuts, carmel apples, cookies, baked goods, cool games, and of course the maze of boxes to crawl through. No candy or trunk or treating. Now that is old school.

Rachel said...

Morgan's little faces are too much. I can not stop laughing. I agree that the month long candy hand out is too much. After we trick-or-treated 15 or so houses, I took 1/2 of each kids candy and handed it back out. I am not giving my kids pixie sticks or sour punch straws. (read Jana's comment.. LOL anything to take the magic away. :) I love the idea though of an exchange.

Kelsey said...

You know I completly agree with you about trunk or treating. It's just not as special or exciting as going door to door. The girls look adorable in their costumes. When do they not?

Kimo said...

Oh man . . . I sooooo hear you on the candy overkill! For the past two years, our trunk-or-treat has been rained on, and so the candy-handing-out was moved inside the building - even more lame to just shuffle through the various classrooms while people toss candy into your bag. Luckily, we also have games and other activities for the kids to enjoy . . . . unfortunately they handed out even more candy when the kids finished each game.