Halloween in the Neighborhood

My neighborhood does Halloween right.  When I was growing up, there were a lot of kids in the area who were around the same ages as Sarah and me, so we all gathered every year to trick or treat together.  A family down the street would throw a party; we'd fortify ourselves with pizza or beer, depending on age, and we'd head out to stock up on candy.  Once we'd made the rounds, we'd return to the host house and count up our hauls while watching movies.  (This is where I first saw Hocus Pocus and Father of the Bride, which means it's where/when I learned what virgins and condoms are.  The virgin explanation made sense, but I thought that condoms were like special seatbelts for men until I was about 12.  Thanks, neighbors!)

Anyway, I haven't been part of the local Halloween scene for more than a decade, but I'm ready to jump back in this year!  And even though I'm not in the right age bracket to be clued in about the kids in the neighborhood, Charlie and I see tons of children waiting at bus stops in the morning, so I'm optimistic about getting a good crowd.   (Be prepared for some serious cute on Tuesday, by the way, when I post photos of Charlie in costume!)  Everyone's in on the fun - the houses are bedecked with spiderwebs and pumpkins and skeletons and ghosts and ghoulishness galore.

Happy Halloween, dear readers!  I'd love to hear about your plans - will you be getting into the spirit of the holiday?

all photos taken by me, October 2012