We lived in the US for a couple of years before we were married and well before becoming parents, so we experienced Halloween first-hand and "Americano". I know Halloween in picking up fans in Australia and New Zealand of more recent times but lets face it, is an American birth right to dress up like a loony and request candy from one's neighbours... it's an American holiday! So I'm just gonna come out admit that... Halloween FREAKED ME OUT!
I know that is kinda the point, but my concern with Halloween was not so much being tricked or spooked per-say, was more to do with the lengths people will go to for the thrill of frightening another. Our friends spend weeks in the lead up to Halloween each and every year, decking out their house to look like a house of horror in preparation for their annual Halloween party... and I assume weeks cleaning up the aftermath. At, said party one guest was prepared to hide in a bush for hours in order to jump out and scare the be-jeebers out of every single guest as they approach the front door? It's fantastic to see people so dedicated to a holiday tradition (Modern Family, Season 2 Episode 6... point in case!). Fantastic... but it FREAKS ME OUT too!!
In any case Halloween is upon us! As usual the kids in our condo here in Singapore were ahead of the game and the trick or treating was scheduled for the Saturday prior. Miss May was only a year old last Halloween so this is really the first year she has experienced it in a real way. As is the tradition here, all the kids converged on the playground to show off their costumes before setting off to trick-or-treat (participating) households. Last year Miss May's Daddy was not around for the festivities and by his own admission was rather non-plus in the lead up to Saturday... as a result I had not decorated our font door or really done much other than get a costume (of sorts) for Miss May. HOWEVER, as our little family made its way though the condo and saw first hand the efforts that some families had gone to to spook the trick-or-treaters we soon became very self-conscious of our rather drab and bare entryway. Our only effort had been to put 'Thriller' and 'Ghost Busters' on continues loop and turn up the volume.
Never-the-less it was a great time for the kids, they loved it, and Miss May's Daddy is already planning his Halloween decorations for next year. Spiderwebs, glowing sculls, perhaps he'll hire a dry ice machine.... perhaps Daddy will be prepared to hide behind the pot plants in order to jump out and scare the be-jeebers our of people as they approach the front door.... Fantastic!
No comments:
Post a Comment