Annie had a fabulous first Halloween back in Canada. This is actually the first one she can remember, as they don’t really celebrate it in Austria. Or at least not the same way. They have Fasching (Carnival) of course, but the concept of going door-to-door and people giving you fistfuls of candy is something special to North America.
“I really love this candy!” said Annie. What a shocker.
The season started with the Lord Tennyson Halloween Howl. It is the 26th year that the school turned itself into a giant Halloween festival, complete with haunted house, games rooms, graveyard, incredible decorations, prizes and on and on.
Two floors of the school and all the main classrooms house jello eating contests, palm reading, storytelling, and pretty much everything you can imagine that is Halloween related.
Annie was Pippi Longstocking this year. I actually made her costumer (seriously never thought I’d say that in my life), including buying fabric ends for the patches and figuring out the hair. Here is the result:
I love the horse! (We didn’t have a monkey).
Over 800 people attended the Howl and it take about 200 volunteers from the school to set up and tear down. Annie’s new school rocks, let me tell you. We invited the cousins and all four of them had a great time.
Yesterday we all (Markus, Rebecca, Annie and I) went up to North Van to join the cousins.
(I can’t remember the name of Rebecca’s character. Shhh, don’t tell. I have pictures of Markus as well, who Rebecca dresses up like a zombie, but they are on the iPhone so I’ll have to upload them later. )
We started off in Edgemont Village, then had dinner, and then TWO HOURS of trick-or-treating in the pouring, pouring rain. But hey, it is only once a year.
This was very much a night to remember.
* Shout out to Lori, Matheson and Shawna. They gave us the Pippi Longstocking book, which we are enjoying immensely, and also one pair of the stockings that made it into the costume. Thanks!