Halloween with Little Ones

It’s those big, fluffy, cozy costumes that get me. The ones that are meant to keep them warm so they are always soft and fleecy and wrap right up around their heads. Lizards, Skunks, Lady Bugs I love them all.

It’s my favourite part of Halloween. When the littlest trick or treaters come waddling up the stairs, in the puffy costumes and big puffy jackets not entirely sure what they are supposed to do once they get to the door.

I miss that stage.

The first Halloween that involved trick or treating for us involved a big fuzzy Giraffe costume. He looked so adorable in his little getup and I was so excited to pull him around our neighbourhood in his wagon as he took in all the kids in costume running through the streets. He toddled up each stairway, sometimes having to put his little orange pumpkin, where he was collecting his candy, down to push himself up to the next stair.

The neighbours gushed at how cute he looked as he showed me the candy that he had just scored.

We only went half way down the street before he had had enough and we knew it was time to head home. Truth be told I ate most of his candy since he forgot about it a couple of days later.

That Giraffe costume made another appearance in our Halloween repertoire a couple of years later when my daughter experienced her first trick or treating experience wrapped in its warmth. She had her big brother beside her showing her how it’s done.

I stood on the sidewalk while he helped her to the door and by the second house she was screeching, “Trick or treeeeeat,” before the door even opened.

We have had Giraffe’s, Gorilla’s, Spider Man and Wonder Woman (which was so good it was worn two years in a row!).

I really miss that stage.

My kids are now past the cutesy, warm and fuzzy costumes. My son is really into Halloween and loves anything scary and ghoulish. When costume shopping I have to remind him of how many little ones we have in our lives that might be scared by his particular choices. We finally settled on a Grim Reaper type thing.

My daughter has broken ground this year and let go of her biggest fear and is so excited to wear her witch costume; tall pointy hat and all.

I’ve traded in sweet for scary!

I know it’s inevitable. Kids grow. But Halloween really makes me miss the soft and cuddly days when I could choose their costumes.

So this year as my kids run from house to house, hopped up on sugar donning their spookiest attire I will stay home and hand out candy and be the neighbour who gushes at the toddlers waddling up my stairs in their teddy bear suits and paw patrol costumes. I will ooh and ahh and fawn over their cuteness. I will wait for my ghoulish children to bring their candy home and as soon as they are in bed I will sneak the peanut butter cups out of their stash.