Not meant to be

My poor kids.  Halloween just wasn't meant to be this year.  No Halloween fairy could've saved it.  It was doomed.

Last week...on actual Halloween...we didn't have power.  So our town sent out a notice via the school district that trick-or-treating was postponed until Wednesday, November 7th.

And now we are being hit by a nor'easter.  Winter Storm Athena, is what they are eagerly calling it.  It is 32 degrees, sleeting, and slushy out.  PLUS, because of Daylight Savings, it is DARK AS HECK.

So we had to break the new to the kids that there would be no trick-or-treating around the neighborhood this year.  They were disappointed, to be sure.  But they are good kids.  Such amazingly good kids.  And they accepted it without throwing fits or crying tears.

And then we had them dress up.  I took the bowl of candy intended for other children, and hid in Michael's room.  Andrew, Lily, and Michael came and knocked on the door.  When I opened it, I pretended that I was seeing them for the first time, commenting on their costumes, etc.  They said trick or treat.  I told them to pick 3 candies from the bowl.

Then I ran around them and closed myself up into Andrew's bedroom.  And then to Lily's.  And our bedroom.  Our closet.  Our bathroom.  The kids' bathroom.  The downstairs bathroom.

I did different voices for each "door" that they knocked on.  Old women, Swedish chef, grumpy old lady, obnoxious lady that pinches their cheeks.  Sometimes they got to take one candy, sometimes 3, sometimes I doled it out.  They were rolling with laughter and eagerly running from door to door to get more treats and more giggles.  They ended up with a bag full of candy (albeit not much variety).

Jeff pretended to check their candy for razor blades when they got back to the kitchen table.  They laughed some more about the Swedish chef voice as they shoveled M&Ms and Twix bars into their mouths.  Lily said, "Even though we didn't get to go trick or treating, we DID."  Andrew said, "It felt good to just say trick or treat."  Michael's mouth was too full of chocolate to say anything.

Who knows?  Maybe this will be the Halloween they remember for ever.  It will be the most momentous year for me, I'm sure.  Damn Sandy.  And Athena.