Happy Halloween!

Okay, I’ll admit it. Halloween is not my favourite holiday. There are parts of it I like, of course, and look forward to. I’m a fan of traditions, and Halloween offers its own unique set of them. I appreciate that. When it comes to Halloween traditions, these are a few of my favourite things:

– Driving my daughter to the front door of the school (a rare treat), where we know we will see the long-time principal wearing a school t-shirt and his Frankenstein mask, welcoming the costumed kids and, despite his best intentions, not fooling even the littlest kindergarteners;

– The little ones in their costumes. The under-seven crowd has always been my favourite part of Halloween, so adorable and earnest in their outfits;

– The joy of not having rain for trick-or-treating. In the Lower Mainland of BC, that’s more of a treat than the chocolate, almost;

– The chocolate. Chocolate is always good, no? Chocolate in tiny little packages that really don’t count…? Excellent.

– The contraband. Inevitably, I end up with at least a couple of Peanut Butter Cups, culled from the kid’s haul and traded for things she likes, for my once-a-year enjoyment;

– The excitement of others. Firecrackers and scary movies and zombies are not really my thing. But I love to see kids excited, planning their costumes, running from door-to-door, interacting with each other and the neighbourhood and generally having a great time.

Those are the best parts of Halloween for me. Whatever yours are, I hope you enjoy them today.