Happy Halloween - 2008

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Originally uploaded by spolay

Brandy and I are beside ourselves with joy. This was, by far, the most happy Halloween yet.

I began to worry early in the day. In past years, the amount of palpable excitement in the air was a sure sign of over-excitement later. I worried about the previous history of streaming tears, erupting tantrums and feelings hurt by perceived brotherly slights. So when Benjamin asked me at 9:15 a.m. if it was time to trick-or-treat yet, I thought for sure we were due for a repeat.

I continue to experience the most wonderful parental moments, though, when our children pleasantly surprise us.

There were no tears, no angst and no stress tonight. The only worrisome moment was when Benjamin would let neither Brandy nor I help him with a Halloween candy bag that was practically bigger than him, and therefore was dragging on the ground and tripping him up when he insisted on holding it by the rope handles instead of grabbing a fistful of bag. We got through that thanks to Brandy's clever knots. Benjamin spent the rest of the night collecting the candy at each door, and then handing me the candy and the bag to make the deposit. Once that was complete, he'd grab the bag back, and run to catch up with his older brothers. He was happy with that routine the rest of the night.

No dogs scared Mason. There were no people jumping out of trash cans this year to scare all of us. There were neither too many cars nor too many people in Sandwich village to overwhelm anyone.

I even had a chance to duck into The Brown Jug for some treats for Brandy and I: Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout for me and Mason Cellars' Sauvignon Blanc for her.

(Appropriate, right? Something chocolaty to go with the occasion, while the other shares a name with one of the little ones, for whom this occasion holds the most meaning. Purely subconscious, I assure you. I was just trying to quickly find two things we liked, and catch back up with the family before I lost track of them. I could not have planned it that well if I had tried.)

When we got home, the boys were patient while we sorted through their candy, tossing the most dubious looking pieces. We then told them they could each have three pieces of candy, and Benjamin said no, he only wanted two. Once we got over the shock of that request, Brandy and I dug into our Sweet Tomatoes White Shrimp Pizza while the boys ate their treats and talked about their favorite candies of all time.

Credit the crescent moon. Credit the salt my friend, Ron, threw over his shoulder last night while we were hanging out after the conclusion of the NENMA conference. Credit the fact that the two older boys wore their costumes to school today, while Benjamin got to partake in costumed Halloween festivities at his preschool yesterday -- perhaps easing the buildup just enough.

Whatever the cause, we loved the effect, and we're grateful. I think Brandy and I enjoyed this Halloween about as much as the boys.

As I write this, I just heard the telltale middle-of-the-night footsteps of Mason, who has now crawled into my customary spot in bed. Chances are pretty good that I am relegated to the couch or his bed tonight if I want a good night's sleep.

If that's the cost of this Happy Halloween, I'll pay it.