Halloween Came Early

When we lived in the midwest, I had a rule for myself about wearing turtlenecks. I couldn’t wear them until it was October.  I love turtlenecks, and back then, owned a ridiculous amount several of them.  Turtlenecks sweaters, turtlenecks shirts….I’m pretty sure I owned a turtleneck tank top but rarely wore it because it made me confused.

Now that we’re in a warmer climate, my rule of wearing turtlenecks has been pushed back to November 1.  You see, I don’t like to bust things out if I can’t continue that kind of pattern.  If it’s not going to stay fall, I’m just going to get disappointed.  So let’s set ourselves up for success, yes?

Saturday, though, was a turtleneck day.  I didn’t break my November 1 rule however, because I couldn’t tell if I thought it was cold because it really was cold, or if my blood has thinned.  I imagined my Chicago and Michigan friends and family saying, “You think this is cold?  I wear flip flops in this weather!”  So instead I wore a long sleeved shirt and a sweater.  I also wore pants but maybe that doesn’t need to be stated.

We went to Frederick for a little early trick-or-treating.  The stores and sidewalks are all decked out in Halloween gear and kids are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes and practice their trick-or-treating skills.  Hadley and Harper were pretty excited to give it a go.

Hadley was a ghost.

Harper was Diego.

Bear was Baby Jaguar.

I love Frederick.  It seems like a storybook town with its unique stores, old churches, cute townhomes and festivities like trick-or-treating before it’s Halloween.  Sure, there’s a Starbucks, but people are going in and getting coffee because they want to sip something while they’re continuing their stroll around the neighborhood, not because they need to stay awake for their next meeting.  At least, that’s what I like to believe.

One of the stores we went into was an old fashioned candy store with bins of candy that thoroughly confused the girls (“What do you mean these aren’t trick-or-treat bins?”).  Each bin had a year above it stating when that candy had come out.  We found Red Vines, Lick a Sticks, and the candy bar I used to get at a gas station on my way home from 7th grade:a Strawberry Charleston Chew.  And I got a pack of Clark Teaberry gum for my mom because I know it’s her favorite (the bonus pack, Mom!  Nothin’ but the best for you!).

We went to an Irish Pub called Patrick’s for dinner, partly because Jesse and I are attracted to Irish pubs like yellow jackets are to our condo, and partly because there was a Notre Dame game on that night.  When we walked in, the patrons turned to look at us with smiles, commented on how cute the girls were, and it was as though we were sitting with old friends sharing pints and Sheperd’s Pie.  It was a scene straight out of Gilmore Girls, I tell ya.

My favorite part was painting pumpkins with a bunch of kids from Hood College.

I love being around college kids.  They’re funny and smart, and they do things like paint pumpkins on a Saturday night with almost 3 and 5 year olds.  That first layer of adulthood has been formed and it’s fresh and effortless to be the person you’re turning into.

Jesse brought the pumpkins back to the car so we could continue walking around, and when he came back he said, “I just ran into a guy who works on my floor.”  He continued to tell me about it but I was still lost in my trip down college lane that I thought he was talking about a guy he knew in his dorm at Calvin.  “For a second there, I felt like we were back in college and you were an RA at Kalsbeek-Huizenga.”

Clearly, that’s not the case, but it was fun to remember for awhile.  Just likes it’s fun to have Halloween on a day it’s not Halloween.  Or be pleasantly surprised to pull out the warmer clothes on the first of October.

We drive out of the storybook town, we set aside our Halloween costumes for later in the month, we accept that we might be wearing shorts and flip flops later in the week, but we enjoy the story while we’re in it.  And maybe that helps us see the magic in the everydayness of the week.

Maybe.

Some of us have to be told that you can’t wear the Diego costume to church the next day.

I know how you feel, Harper.  It’s why I have the Turtleneck Rule.