I'm Dreaming of a Non-White, Actual Halloween

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. For the past two years, we've had two major, life altering (at least temporarily, for us, thank goodness) storms on the same day. You can't blame me for perhaps hiding under the bed for most of October 29, 2013, right?

So far, the weather report for the next few days is good. And if all goes well, in a few days we'll celebrate our first Halloween since 2010.


Halloween, 2010. Ellie was three. Leo was six (and little did anyone know-including me-I was pregnant with twins). But look at these two! Look. How. Little.

In 2011, we lost power for five days and Halloween was cancelled by an unusually early in the season snow storm, which landed us in a hotel twenty miles from home with five month old twins (who unbeknownst to us had double ear infections, ask me how much fun THAT was). I remember on Halloween night that year, the hotel manager cheerily telling us there was a nice little residential neighborhood a few blocks away where we could take the kids to Trick or Treat. Just...no. Then there was the little Halloween party we'd planned. And the refrigerator full of food that went spoiled. And as the blizzard raged on outside our living room window (and the power went out), Ellie's sad little four year voice quivering, "Why isn't anyone coming to our party?"

Last year on Halloween, with our area still reeling from the after-effects of Sandy, our town put out an APB that trick or treating was strictly prohibited. This proved to not be that difficult to enforce since we had no electricity, (therefore no street lamps), heat or hot water and several giant trees were down all over our neighborhood. School was closed all week, so those parties were cancelled. We did, as a family, have a little at home celebration the weekend after our power was restored, but let's face it, dressing up at home doesn't have quite the same cache as school.



It might sound silly, but I'd been hesitant to get my hopes up about Halloween this year. And let's face it, TWO storms in TWO years on the same day? You might be a little uneasy too.



But yesterday, feeling confident and celebratory, we dug out the Halloween costumes. I had two tucked away that I thought would work for Harry and Lucy (no spoilers-you'll see them after the big day). For some reason I saved the twins' costumes from last year, which they did wear, as they paraded up and down our driveway before feasting on Munchkins--yes, that was our eventual family Halloween party, somewhere around November 9, I believe.


Harry's old bee suit was laughably snug on Lucy. But don't tell her (and yes, she insisted on trying it on and keeping it on in an insistent manner that only Lucy possesses)..

I'd forgotten about the stinger.

We are SO ready. Halloween 2013. Bring it. But can we keep our heat and power this year?