Fish Out of Water

No dress-up for me this Halloween

Sometimes work interrupts real life really rudely, and this week is one of those times. I'm going away on a business trip mid-week this week, which means that for the first time ever that I can remember, I'm not going to be here to walk my kids around the neighborhood on Halloween.

 Halloween's a pretty big deal for our family. It is, by far, my favorite holiday, even more so than Christmas or Independence Day, because we dress up the yard and the house, all of us dress up in costumes (except for the cat, who has more self-respect than the rest of us), and we have a grand old time.

 It's become our little tradition to make a hearty, fortifying meal -- usually a pot roast or stew, some mulled cider (with perhaps a tipple), to carve the pumpkin, then to go out with our neighbor and her kids as we take on the neighborhood.

We live in a great part of Mashpee that's chock full of neighbors who really get into the spirit of things, many with kids of their own or grandkids, and who love to see the little ones dress up (and usually treat grown-ups who dress up with a laugh and sometimes even a candy treat).

I'll miss it this year, but my children don't have to fear, because my mom will be pinch-hitting for me as the adult supervisor (my wife prefers to stay at home in her outfit, giving out candy and watching Ghost Hunters on the Sci-Fi Channel).

More than anything, I'll regret not being able to put on a costume, because I really do enjoy the dress up. But I don't think TSA would appreciate a Viking in a helmet trying to board an airplane. Although I'm sure sending a halberd through an x-ray machine might get a chuckle or two. Don't think they're giving out candy this year at Logan, though.