Halloween in the Tropics

For a country that doesn't really celebrate Halloween, our costumes were enjoyed on three different days at three different events.  That's fairly remarkable, even for US standards.  We found a small (really small) selection of candy in nearly all of the grocery stores we frequent, but it wasn't always easy to find. 

As always, I made the costumes. I wasn't very inspired by the costume subject, but I did what I could. I knew it was going to be really hot and sticky even without a costume on, so I kept them very simple and easily removable.  Since two of our three events were a taxi or bus ride away, it was imperative that they also be easily portable.  Normally, we don't do trendy costumes, but this year we did.  AK was thrilled to be an Angry Bird - "The Blue One", more specifically, and Ben was the poor target - The Pig. 

We started the celebration on Friday night at AK's school.  We Trunk or Treated and enjoyed a few festival games.  Unfortunately, I forget how creepy Halloween can be, and most of the trunks were decorated to remind us of the darker side.  I'm a fan of happy Jack O'Lanterns, kids dressed in storybook costumes, and really good chocolate in their buckets.  Of course, not everyone shares my version of Halloween, and it was evident.  Blood and guts and bats and spooks were around every turn. Luckily, AK was too busy chasing her friends to really notice.  B3 was too busy chasing AK, so he didn't seem to mind, either. 

AK enjoyed the face painting table, but our Pig wanted none of it.

AK's favorite part of the evening was the doughnut walk. Marion family folklore tells of a B2 who always won the cake walk, but evidently, it isn't genetic.   It took AK a gazillion rounds, but her patience was rewarded with the sprinkle doughnut she had eyed for what felt like hours.

B3 settled for a Dum Dum from the treat bag.

On Saturday, The Blue Bird enjoyed a friend's costume birthday party, but The Pig refused to wear his costume.  It was strange since he didn't want to take it off on Friday night, but he wanted nothing to do with it.

That all changed on Monday night, when our complex hosted a night of Trick or Treating.  Those who wanted to participate signed up in advance, and we were given a list of units that were participating.  It was certainly different from walking down Greylyn Drive, where nearly every house knew our kids by name. I suppose it was both the elevator and cultural mix that, once again, made it obvious that we're a long, long way from where were last Halloween.

Waiting on the Elevator

It's nice to have costumes that go right over AK's school uniform. Note that The Pig is a John Deere Fan.

Headed down the corridor to the first house.  It was nice to be inside the entire time.

 Can you tell we're in Asia?  (shoes!)

This house made AK and B3 stick their hands in a bucket of "worms" to find the candy.  B3 didn't go for it, but AK was not deterred!

Checking out the Loot



The candy haul was underwhelming. The quantity was fantastic, considering we went to only one of six buildings in our complex. The quality, however, was mediocre. I suppose if you're a fan of "Taiwan's Best: Banana Rice Cakes" in miniature, however, you would have been thrilled. 


Overall, they had a great time, and they're still enjoying their candy. It's easy for me to stay out of it, so we'll keep it for a few more weeks before sending it to Ben's office or down the trash chute.


**NOTE: It has taken me a week to type this up. I'm too distracted by kids that demand to be fed and dishes that don't wash themselves to blog about all that I want to. Stay tuned for a summary of our recent trip to the beach in Indonesia and other adventures. Maybe I'll get to it before Christmas!**

Halloween 2011 -Sneak Peek

I'm not really a fan of Halloween; goblins and ghosts aren't my thing.  I don't want to be scared or tricked, and the treats that aren't of the high quality chocolate kind are not for me.  I have always loved, however, creative costumes.  My mom was the best at creating costumes as we were growing up, and I fondly remember being a Hershey Kiss, Pinocchio (for a book fair, not Halloween), a skeleton, ladybug, and others.  I'm enjoying carrying on the tradition with AK and B3.

This year, since we're in a new place , I tried to con AK into givng an encore performance as The Man in The Yellow Hat by simply recycling last year's costume.

She resisted, of course.  I finally caved when I realized that her sleeves were now 3/4 length, and the pants would only work if she never tried to sit down. Besides, we don't have boots and it's far too hot for George to wear that costume. 

So, today we went shopping.  Want to know what the Marion Kids will be this year?  Here's a hint:

I better start sewing!

By the way, I'm keeping the yellow outfit.  I think I can con B3 into wearing it in 2 years!  Besides, we moved that hat 10,000 miles.  Someone's gotta wear it.