Halloween has come and gone, but what a celebration it was! I'd like to make a suggestion to the calendar people that Halloween always fall on a Friday or Saturday night. The last two years have been so much fun for kids and adults alike, I'm not sure how we are going to transition back to a middle-of-the-week, there's-school-and-work-tomorrow holiday.

Once again, Halloween was like Mardi Gras for the under-12 set. It started slowly, but even a bit of drizzle couldn't stop the waves of trick-or-treaters. For the first time ever, we actually ran out of candy at my house.

I think some of my favorite costumes were worn by Catherine Lee, dressed as a stunning Cleopatra, and Maclean Salsbery, dressed as Michael Jackson, complete with the single silver glove, loafers, white socks and sunglasses.

The Holland family didn't disappoint with a 2009 Haunted House on Sulgrave. Every Halloween, Dave, Natalie, Ben and Laurel set up an extravaganza of hauntedness that scares the little ones silly.

This year, my 5-year-old son took a deep breath and mustered up his courage, then made it upstairs to get freshly popped popcorn distributed by Natalie.

He warily refers to the Holland house, even in summer, as "that house with the man who has no head."

The annual Neighborhood Halloween Party, held earlier in the day at the home of Elizabeth and Ed Grove, also had a terrific turnout. The weather was mild, the crafts and activities were mobbed, and there was tons of food, candy, a piñata and a hay ride. Organizers give a huge "thank you" to all the parents who volunteered, stuck on tattoos, dressed up as mummies, played bingo, brought food, and made sure nobody fell off the trampoline or the hay ride.

Don't forget to join your neighbors and sing (or try to sing) along with an array of holiday songs, enjoy cookies and warm apple cider, and loudly count down to the lighting of the holiday tree, which takes place Nov. 21 from 5:45 to 6:15 p.m. at the Octagon (the octagon-shaped five-story building overlooking Mt. Washington Village) at the Johns Hopkins Mt. Washington Conference Center on Smith Avenue.

And don't forget to stop at St. John's Holly Daze from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Great Hall of St. John's Episcopal Church, 1700 South Road. There will be shopping, food, kids' activities and a silent auction.

---

user comments (0)