Sainsbury's Mag saves the day ............

Boy did I feel like a BIG party pooper yesterday morning. Yep, I really did. You see up till now I've escaped trick or treating - Amber never asked, children never came up to this bit of the village and close friends didn't seem to do it either.

That is until Tuesday night when Rohan came back from school and said the two girls who were visiting their grandmother up the lane had asked if he would do it with them. I guess I wasn't really waiting for this moment cos I wasn't exactly prepared. But I did discover when asked, that I really hate trick or treating. I've only ever opened my door to trick or treaters once when we lived in Letchworth and they were so scarey looking that Amber was terrified for ages. Maybe that's what put me off. Or maybe I'm just a boring old fart.

Anyway, back to Tuesday night and I explained why I didn't like it and poor Rohan just kept saying "it's just a bit of fun Mum, no-one else sees it like you do" and I really felt sorry for him but I just didn't want to say yes. I just don't like the idea of saying to someone give me a sweet or I'll pay a trick on you. So he finally accepted the No and went to bed a sad bunny and I did too.

Next morning I was flicking through the Sainsbury's Magazine that I'd got on impulse on Tuesday and lo and behold there was a big spread on Halloween food. So methinks how do I make it up to the boy and Halloween party came to mind. So I run round town like a headless chicken gathering supplies and wishing that I lived in a bigger town sometimes. But I do buy a pumpkin, some sweets, sausages, apples and other bits and bobs and we have the makings of a small, impromptu party.

I told the children when they came home from school and we went for it. We made toffee apples:

ginger biscuits and iced them:

put up the witch as we do each year and carved our pumpkin:

we roasted the seeds and set the table:

invited some friends over at the last minute and prepared a few games like this one:

and WE HAD SUCH FUN. Especially Rohan who ended up looking like this (one of the so-called friends pushed his face down hard into the flour as he tried to retrieve the walnut):

He looks like he's got a mask on doesn't he? Face went straight into a bucket of water afterwards for apple bobbing and that was a worse sight I can assure you.

Well, the boys went to bed exhausted at 8.30 and I'm pleased to say that Rohan said he'd loved the party. I was knackered but it was a nice sort of knackered and I certainly did not go to bed feeling like a party pooper as I had done the night before. I also thought once again that it's spontaneous things like this that are remembered later and cherished.

....................................................................................

By the way I do not mean to offend anyone who likes trick or treat and happily lets their children do it. Please don't feel you have to justify anything. I'm just sharing what an inflexible old so and so I can be ...........

Comments

[yolanda]

estas manzanas me han recordado a las que he visto en el blog de capusita http://capusitalinda.blogspot.com/
Nunca se me habría ocurrido hacerlas, te dejo el link por si quieres ver su receta.
Tus pastas tienen muy buena pinta. Suelo visitar tu blog pues encuentro cosas muy intersantes, aunque no había dejado nunca comentarios. El idioma dificulta el entendimiento y utilizo traductores on-line. Espero que lo entiendas bien.
Un saludo.

[dottycookie]

Good for you for sticking to your guns. I don't mind people knocking on our door (though not many do in general) but I don't let mine go out, and they do think I'm a bit mean. Your party looks like great fun though - we may have to do that next year when my little ones are bigger and more upset by having to stay indoors!

[Kathy]

What is this walnut and flour game? You make a mound of flour, stick a walnut on top and people have to try to get it with their mouth or something? I don't understand the point of the game.

Lucky your son didn't choke on the walnut!

[Sarah]

The girls loved seeing Rohan's face! Your Halloween sentiments sound similar to mine. I wrote about my thoughts a few weeks ago. Good for you for being able to stick to your gun. I couldn't.

http://maymomvt.blogspot.com/2007/10/take-back-halloween.html

[Marit]

I really like your way of dealing with trick-ot-treting! It doesn't have a very long tradition in Norway, only 5-10 years, but this year it went out of hand several places, and cars and buildings and stuff got broken. We have a tradition between Christmas and NewYears Eve, where the children dress up (as angels, cowboys, indians, gnomes, old ladies, princesses...you name it) and they go from house to house singing Christmassongs and getting candy. In our village we do it on New Years Eve, and it is really fun. No tricks at all.
Thanks for sharing your view. The picture of Rohan is too funny!

[Barbara]

It sounds like you had a great party and made a good compromise. I don't like trick or treating either and we've never done it despite my daughter's pleas.
We play the flour and walnut game with a sweetie on the top. Each person has to cut a slice of the flour cake off until the sweetie falls. Then that person has to put their face into the flour and eat the sweet. Is that how you do it? The guides played a similar game with marshmallows in a tray of syrup - before playing the flour game. I wish I had a picture of that!

[Lea]

I feel the EXACT same way.... fortunately when Christopher was 5 he logically told us he didn't like sweets ( still doesn't at 16) and was quite happy with who he was and didn't want to pretend to be naybody else..that settled it! I think your Halloween party was just lovely and your right, the children will always remember it~ I must say that is the sweetest little pumpkin baby with the toadstools on your table. She is a cutie!

[Rada]

I think you found the best way to make a good Halloween memory. When I was growing up, we went trick or treating to about 5 houses. We lived in the country and would only visit people we knew. Of course, our mother always took us. We did not have to worry about the candy we received. We could be given popcorn balls and apples with no worries of tainted treats. AND, there certainly would not have actually been a trick if someone was not home. We always enjoyed having a Halloween Party much more than going from house to house. Nowadays many only attend parties to be safe. My sister and her husband host a hayride and hotdog and marshmellow roast every year. Children come dressed up and just have a good time. I can't wait to talk someone into doing the flour and walnut game. That looks like a blast. I always wanted to smash my face in a chocolate cake. I know, I'm weird.

[Janet]

I love halloween and trick or treating....it is one of my favorite times...handing out candy and admiring all the great costumes....is fun!

[Patti]

I'm so happy that you had the impromptu party! My 10 year old son put on a Halloween Party as well and had a wonderful time! He kept insisting that he wanted to print menus at each place setting and serve his friends dinner like at a restaurant. I thought 10 ten-year old boys wouldn't have the patience, but I am glad I went along with it. They all sat patiently as Alex waited on them and then gave him a standing ovation! We live in a suburb of Chicago and had about 200 trick-or-treaters come to our house (as we had nice weather) and not a single trick! It's quite a tradition here with fond memories of my own as a child, but I think that it is not as acceptable across the pond :-) Here's to more impromptu parties in our lives!

[Marie]

How wonderful simmy! That is so much better than trick or treating! I have many fond memories of the Halloween parties I gave for my kids through the years and I am sure they do too. OHHH< I LOVE LOVE LOVE red toadstools with white polka dots on them and I am completely enthralled with the ones in your photo!!! Not to mention that cute lil punkin doll!! Impromptu parties are the best and build the best memories! Well done!!!
Marie
http://journals.aol.co.uk/mariealicejoan/MariesMuses/

[Tracy]

This was great, Simmy, funny, but honest too! I love Halloween for the most part. But sometimes the kids going round door-to-door get very surly and not so sweet when you've run out of treats! We didn't have too many come to our door this year, as it was a wet night. Looks like you had a little festivity and fun though :o) Happy weekend to you & yours ((HUGS))

[Alice]

Love your party idea, I was never let out for trick-or-treat and won't be letting my ds do it either as I think it scares some people. I love your table decorations. I'm in the middle of making some toadstools from instructions in The Seasonal Table book but haven't seen instructions for the lovely rosehip candle holder, where did you get the idea from for it?

[Mom Unplugged]

I live in the US where pretty much all the children trick-or-treat. I have never liked it much either (for basically the same reasons as you), so every year I take my children to an annual Halloween party in my neighborhood. Fortunately I also live on a street that gets no trick-or-treaters.

Your party looks like it was a marvelous replacement for trick-or-treating! It must have taken a lot of energy, so don't feel like an "inflexible old so and so." You just made a much lovelier memory for Rohan than if you had let him go trick-or-treating!

[Laura]

Simmy, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your house and how you have renovated it. I got positively weak in the knees when I found your blog. Keep up the great work and have a little chocolate when the going gets rough.

[jodi lenz]

simmy, how did you make all that beautiful party food and decorations on such short notice? I loved the cookies, everything was so pretty! Talk soon, love jodi.

[lucette]

Simmy, your party sounds like so much fun. I like all the decorations and food--how you make it all I am quite amazed and delighted. Over here, we were ready for the kids to come callling, but this year only 16 kids came. My favourite costume was a little girl dressed up in a celery costume. Lots of kids do have parties and to me this would be a lot more fun. oh, to be ten again.

[Angela]

It is ok to know what you want for your children and then to stand by it. We did the same for our dd. And it was hard on her, well she took it hard. And I was bothered by it because we do not wish for our children to be sad, but in the big picture, well she got over it and was not emotionally scarred by it. Now as a young adult she just told me last night she "got it" and my reasons. :o) Now if she only "gets" a few other things eh??

[Emma]

Hi Simmy. I am will you on this one and we don't let our children out either. We make it up to them by going out for a family meal somewhere. I give them the choice of staying home and giving out sweets, going to the cinema or a meal. They all voted with their stomachs - what a surprise. Each to their own I say!

[Sue]

Oh I didnt let my children trick or treat this year either, and alas we had no Halloween party either. The vibes must have been hovering too because no-one came to the door to trick or treat. Your party does look and sound like fun though.

[Zélia]

Oh uau! you just reminded me of how much miss candly apples... Since i loeft canada when i was ten, i haven't had one:(

[Zélia]

Oh uau! you just reminded me of how much miss candly apples... Since i loeft canada when i was ten, i haven't had one:(

[kristin]

what a lovely centerpiece! the pumpkin doll, the mushrooms, and I'm so curious as to what you have made that the candle is nesting on. lovely combination, all of it :)