Down the Rabbit Hole

Halloween Musings

Halloween is one of my most favorite holidays. We skipped our annual party this year because we have so many other expenses and as a result, I found I had a harder time getting into the festivities. Normally I pick out our costumes a month before but this year, I bought an $8.00 witch hat in target and splurged on a $6.00 plastic cat ring with red blinking eyes. The only reason I made even that small effort was because I thought the chances of getting Jaden into her costume would be greater if she saw that Mommy was dressed up too. I did not even bother to decorate the house, not even one rubber spider. And while I kept meaning to buy and carve a pumpkin, I never got around to that. I was really phoning it in this year and I knew it. Jaden already had her costume, an old flower girl ballgown borrowed from her cousin and a cheap instant angel kit. Ill I needed to do was take her out to use it. When I finally got the costume on her all together I was delighted at how very pretty it looked. The ballgown was full and when she walked, it almost looked like she was floating. The tiny silver shoes and big white sparkling wings really worked perfectly. The headband halo, which was crooked most of the time, just capped everything off perfectly. The best part about Jaden's costume was that she actually wore it. And not just casually either, she owned that costume! I was amazed watching her walk among the other older trick or treaters, jocking a place in front of the candy buckets and lifting her elmo basket up to get her treats. She rarely cracked a smile, concentrating as she was on the next candy stop ahead of her. Later, she walked hand in hand with her little friend and every once and a while she would look down in her basket and smile. She was in and out of her costume at least four times that night and never once complained or baulked me. She would stay patiently while I fluffed the taffeta of her dress and attached her wings and halo and then she was off again, seemingly tireless. I finally let her have a mini chocolate bar. Watching her enjoy that treat was the best part of the night. She polished it off, licked her fingers and grinned up at me. She now knows the word "candy" and she's a fan. She must have been exhausted but she sang and danced in her car seat the whole way home. When we finally crawled into bed to catch the goodnight show on Sprout, she was still giddy. The best mood ever! I had anticipated a battle or two over the course of the night but Jaden delivered what amounted to my most favorite Halloween night to date. She more than made up for not having a party. She looked so beautiful and was so good, so cute and so funny. She was simply delightful. She finally did manage to fall asleep after finishing her milk. She snuggled back against me and clutched her stuffed sheep, whom she has apparently named "Baa", to her chest. I'm pretty sure she was the most beautiful angel I'd ever seen.