All Hallows Eve

Basic Halloween this year.  Pumpkins, costumes, candy.

Ghouled Cheese Sandwiches and Gore Soup for dinner

We couldn't agree on a theme this year, so it was every man for himself.  My only requirement was that the costume involved as little sewing as possible for Mom, and preferably used pieces we already had.

Miriam

Queen of the Night (with a ghost in the background!) -- she was practicing the aria for days beforehand in case called upon to prove she really WAS the Queen of the Night

Katie

tap dancer (she finally fits into my stash of dance costumes)

Jojo

an archer, with an awesome bow made out of pvc pipe

Daniel

a ninja. he originally wanted to be Yoda, but we couldn't find the mask/wig at our local party store.

Daniel insisted on this sequence of pictures:

1.

2.

3.  (apparently he's not a very good ninja)

Andy

Darth Vader!

(he doesn't quite understand how light sabers work yet)

Dominic

an impish elf (who required help standing still for the camera)

(...because he kept trying to do this)

Trick-or-treating is WAY more fun with friends.

After we came home, Miriam had to separate out the orthodontist-approved items.  (Daniel very sweetly shared all his KitKats with her.)

I spy a little someone helping himself

caught in the act!

Once again the kids noted how much harder they have to work for their loot in our neighborhood now vs. the easy days at the townhouse -- more miles to cover to get a decent haul!  But thanks to the leftovers from the Costco bag of candy, we had enough to last us for a whole week this time.

Next day was, of course, All Saints Day.  Before Halloween we went on pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine in DC (I love that church more every time I go) in order to walk through the Holy Door.  At the Mass the priest gave a beautiful homily about Halloween, how the Christian ought to view death, and the spiritual symbolism of trick-or-treating.  On the Eve of All Hallows, father said, children knock on doors asking for a treat.  This reminds us of the truth that someday, at the moment of our death, we ourselves will be knocking on the door of Heaven, asking for the greatest treat of all -- admittance to the kingdom of light and sweetness, where we will be welcomed into the fellowship of saints.  It gave me goosebumps, I tell you. 

We have friends who don't like Halloween because of its more grisly trappings as perpetrated by secular culture, and for the most part I agree with them.  (I don't get zombies.  Why exactly are they cool?)  But I always love to see how grace builds upon nature; the church has always taken what was good in a culture and used it to teach us the truth.  At bedtime after trick-or-treating, we can use that moment to thank God for all the sweet things in the world, to be able to prepare us for the even greater sweetness of Heaven and the Communion of Saints.

And no, I'm not just trying to justify trick-or-treating so I can steal Snickers from my kids' candy buckets.