So, tomorrow is Halloween night. I always look forward to Halloween night for a number of reasons.
First: The kids love it. They get to dress up as anything they want. AJ is dressing as a little ladybug girl. CT will be dressing up as a Persian Knight. (And just for the record, yes Ty and I will both be dressing up. Ty is going to be an ancient Celtic King--there's a costume contest at his work. I'm going as a sort of Harry Potter/Hermione mash-up character. I'm kind of playing it by ear.)
Second: Taking the kids to my parents' house so the grandparents can see the grandkids in their cute costumes. My dad always sets up the fire bowl in the driveway. He and my mom sit outside with a big bowl of candy and socialize with their friends while handing out the candy to the kids that come trick-or-treating. At least until it gets too cold outside.
Third: Nerds. No, not the dudes with pocket protectors, I mean those tangy little Wonka candies that come in those tiny boxes. Halloween is the only time of the year that I eat them. Sugar rush!
Finally: Every year since we became parents, Ty and I have a tradition that is all our own.
We will come home from trick-or-treating (and mom and dad's house) and we all change out of our costumes. We get the kids bathed and into their pajamas and then we put them to bed. Once they're asleep, Ty and I will go downstairs to the TV room, snuggle up under a blanket, and...watch "The Nightmare Before Christmas". It's perfect for celebrating Halloween AND kicking off the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. It's the only movie in the history of the world that can do that, you know.
Sure the story and characters are just a little bit twisted, Tim Burton has that effect on...well...everything. It's pretty freaking awesome. But the music in that movie is to-die-for AMAZING! I mean, whoever first decided to pair Tim Burton's off-kelter view of the world with Danny Elfman's musical genius deserves a medal or something. Those two just go together like cookies and milk, or in their case, like skeletons and red, fur-lined coats...
I love all of the songs, but by far my favorite song is the very first one that sets the tone for the entire film. It's brilliant! Oh you don't believe me? Check this out:
See what I mean? BRIL-LI-ANT!!!
I have to admit, this tradition of watching "The Nightmare Before Christmas" on Halloween night with just Ty and me is something that I REALLY look forward to. Unfortunately, this year our little tradition will have to be put off for one extra day. Ty will be at work all night on Halloween. It's kind of a bummer, but I'm going to take the kids to see him while he's at work. It should be fun, and I'll still get my movie night with Ty in the end, so it all works out.
So, what are your Halloween traditions? If you don't do any of these types of traditions at this time in your life, what were your Halloween night traditions when you were a child? What are you dressing up as this year? What's your favorite Halloween-themed movie? How's the weather in your neck of the woods? I want to know! :)
We've changed our celebrations as the kids are too old to go out in costume. Now we sit outside (weather permitting) and hand out candy and glow necklaces to the neighborhood kids.
ReplyDeleteLaughingMom: That sounds like what my parents do. All of their kids are too old for trick or treating, so they do the firebowl in the front yard. :)
ReplyDeleteI forgot about Nerds. I liked grape.
ReplyDeleteJust felt like sharing. You're welcome.
Doug: Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteGrape is my favorite flavor too, with strawberry coming in at a close second.
No the double coated lemon and cherry ones are the best in the entire world of nerds. I could eat a million of them.
ReplyDeleteCharlie: Oh yeah! I forgot about those! They are really good. But when given the choice, I'll pretty much always go for the grape before any other flavor. Call me old fashioned, but it's just the way I roll, (well, so far as Nerds go, anyway.) :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to make a confession here. It's a terrible one. I have secretive feelings about Nightmare Before Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI have standard Christmas Movies. You know...your traditional yuletide fare. White Christmas. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Muppets' Christmas Carol. The usuals.
But Derrick's absolute favorite, must-watch, do-or-die movie is Nightmare Before Christmas. And here's the confession-- I don't like it as a Christmas movie. It doesn't jive with my cheery Bing Crosby-I-Love-Everyone-And-Let's-Eat-Figgy-Pudding Christmas vibe. So I watch it...but I secretly wish we could watch it on Halloween instead. Because it's RIDICULOUSLY creepy. So Halloween-y. But it's Derrick's anti-Christmas movie. It's his thing. So I watch it. But secretly, secretly, I SO envy your tradition.
I have a confession, too.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the Nightmare Before Christmas.
At all.
Not as a Halloween movie. Not as a Christmas movie. Not as any kind of movie. In the world of Tim Burton movies, he is either hit or miss. And this one was definitely a miss in my book. There is something seriously wrong with it, and it doesn't start or end with little boys pulling heads of out Christmas gift boxes.
But I wish you could show me your costume! I was a Hermione Granger, too, complete with time turner. I want to see how you managed it!