A Grateful Heart: Frivolous festivities and the family who makes them

Trick or treat? Arrrrrr.

Update: I need to sincerely apologize to my mother for forgetting the pretty pretty princess costume she sewed for me by hand.

As early as I can remember, Halloween has always been a “thing” in my family. The first holiday I can recall featured me trick-or-treating as a mini-Hawaiian dancer… I remember being a flamenco dancer, flapper, witch, witch, witch, mermaid, witch, Straw Man (to my sister’s Dorothy, much to my chagrin. Ahem, mother), firefighter (in real turn-outs no less), witch, witch (it’s easy with an all black wardrobe, give me a break), slut pirate, witch and Katy Perry-does-Elmo. This year my parents wanted to host a pirate party, but the thought of reprising the mini-skirt/leather boots/eye patch get up just wasn’t warming my heart. So I went to my closet and without purchasing a thing, put together a fairly respectable gypsy-pirate ensemble complete with almost every piece of jewelry I own. Somehow it worked.

So why is this a “Grateful Heart” post? Because of the joy of it. I adore that my parents get all goobery about holidays and as you’ll see below, go all out decorating. I love that they will host “parties” for just about any occasion that’s half-way festive, even it’s just family who shows up. I appreciate the happiness and tradition. Sigh.

And I sure as heck like getting dolled up and eating junk food. See, here’s proof:

xoxo,
shawna!

That I pulled these items from my regular wardrobe is either commendable or frightening, don’t you think?

 

Doesn’t everyone’s house have a giant mummy in the yard?

 

I forget that most people don’t have costmetologist mothers… the site of disembodied heads just isn’t that strange to me anymore

 

Many of the decorations were motion-sensored and made creepy noises.

The bones jangled about and let’s not forget the fog machine.

 

Love the eyeballs!

 

I can see how this might frighten the wee-ones though.

 

Every year someone cries.

Thar be me mother!

 

And me sister. I may have been the only one to actually dress up. Err, thanks everyone.

 

Captain Eric John.

 

Bread sticks masquerading as finger bones.

 

Mummy dogs!!

 

A perennial fave.

 

Shiver me timbers, the dogs keep multiplying.

 

We joked that if we ran out of candy, we’d just start handing out pugs.

 

Betty on the right is the newest addition. She’s half pug, half Pekingese.

 

Meena is a sad panda lately having to share the love with the new pug in town. Read a history of pug acquisition here.

 

Eric was a little miffed to be pulled away from Casper just to take a picture with me.

 

Sadly, we didn’t make anyone walk the plank to get candy.

 

My cute mom and her gigantic creepy skull.