I didn’t get in as much as the actual “storytelling” element of Halloween that I wanted to this season. They watched more “scary” movies than they ever have before (Claude in particular, who saw “Poltergeist” and “Sleepy Hollow”). We all enjoyed the old Disney live-action “The Watcher in the Woods” and while it’s only mildly creepy, got a HUGE kick out of the “Over the Garden Wall” animated series.

While I had bought a collection of ghost stories that had been highly rated as a favorite trip down memory lane for parents who had been kids the ’60’s and ’70’s (it wasn’t one I’d ever heard of myself), we didn’t get time to read it together. So many things were happening concurrent with the Halloween season that just sort of fed into it: making skulls for the Baba Yaga hut for Parade of Spirits. Working as costumed extras in a graveyard musical segment of South SillyCAM (the same episode where they had their “starring roles” in another skit, which will be featured here soon).

There were still days it was too warm to believe Halloween was just around the corner, but there’s nothing like hitting every button on every holiday display toy in the CVS to get you, and the whole store, in the mood.

And they did get to make costume packs for kids at Cradles to Crayons.

The tutorial about how not to “whitewash” an undead person of color worked out very well for Claude’s costuming, as did her custom-fitted fangs. She was a good vampire, and Béla, a happy samurai (sometimes Samurai Pumpkin).

For the School of Rock holiday party Claudia switched out costumes to be Garnet from Steven Universe.

Again, I had wanted to go deeper throughout October into “scary” storytelling and why people love and embrace it. We got a start, but didn’t go as far as I’d like to… so I’m looking forward to next Halloween already.