Lily doesn't like Halloween in particular, but Emma does, so mostly this "holiday" revolves not around Lily's adventures, but Emma's, though to be sure Lily impacts the festivities. First of all, Lily doesn't really eat much candy, so it's not like she's super bummed to be missing out on all the extra sugar she could be getting, second, she hates putting on costumes, and third of all, you know. . . autism.
My wife and I take turns dressing up to go with the kiddos (Lily trick-or-treats the cul-de-sac then goes back to the comfort of home for the remainder of the event.), the other parent stays behind handing out candy to the visiting goblins. In the past we've gone with my niece and nephew, but they've slowly gotten older and, while not growing completely out of the process, have grown into wanting to do it with their school friends, versus their favorite Uncle Jim and their cousins. This year Emma actually asked to go with a friend of hers. We offered to take my nephew, but he ended up going with friends too.
This year it was my turn to dress up, but since Emma was just going with a friend, and because we had just gotten back from the trip to Wisconsin the day before, I more or less half-assed it and bought a Viking helmet, axe, and beard and said "Nailed it!"
I've always wanted a Viking helmet. I'm not kidding.
About a week before Halloween (which is always wayyyyy too late at any store that sells anything other than prostitute costumes for small children) we found a cupcake costume for Lily at Pottery Barn Kids. I felt super original about it, since Autism Army Mom dressed HER kid in the exact thing last year, and I read the blog about it, and commented on it. . . then YOINK. . . stole it.
Emma dressed as a Munchkin. As a third grader she participated in the local high school's production of "The Wizard of Oz" as a Munchkin, and so she continued a two-year trend (that is currently being aggressively encouraged by her mother and me) of re-using costumes from other stuff (the year before it was a Dance Recital costume) as her Halloween costume.
 |
| Quick, before she flees! |
So I carted Emma off to her friend's house. We joined her and her dad with some other kids and took off. First of all, no other adults even wore half-assed costumes, so I was moderately self-conscious, but not self conscious enough not to wear my beard and helmet. Plus, in my loot sack. . . cause you know. . . VIKING!. . . I had beer. And I self medicated for self consciousness and offered the other dad some medicine as well. He partook. I'm not saying we got shitfaced or anything. We just each had a couple beers that we poured in dixie cups.
I kept asking him to verify that the foam from my beer was clinging to my Viking beard because I felt it seemed more "authentic" to have stuff in my beard.
We started out and the rain started to fall. I didn't wear a coat, cause, again, VIKING!, which was probably stupid because it got pretty cold, but my helmet protected me, although I suspect rainwater collected in my horns and trickled down inside them to empty on my temples.
Meanwhile, my wife attempted to get Lily out the door to trick-or-treat the neighbors. No. Fought the shoes, fought the strawberry head piece (which I later learned she would only wear if the ends of the head band were stuck INSIDE her ears), and my wife caved in and let her stay at home. Thank you, $50 Pottery Barn Kids costume purchase plus overnight shipping (to get the costume in the nick of time for Halloween). Money well spent.
 |
| mid spin, strawberry-impaled ears |
Ultimately, I don't really care because 1) she hates putting the costumes on, and 2) it was cold and wet and miserable for anyone who wasn't burning with a fierce desire to acquire as much candy as possible in a two hour span (Emma).
Emma refused a coat and claimed not to be cold. And there was some running up to houses, but man! She's tough, or extremely proud of her un-coat-bemarred costume. In any event, we trick-or-treated our way back to Emma's friend's house where the kids dumped their candy in piles, carefully sorted it, and then haggled for extra favorites from each other.
I had fun with Emma's friend's dad, who has a strange fixation with the evils of sugar, but saw no irony in encouraging his children to collect as much of it as they could possibly carry.
Weirdest treat this year: a melted freeze pop
Lamest treat this year: (Tie) hot cocoa mix, junior mints (really?? has any child even eaten one of these since the mid 60's?)
