How do you repair a broken jack-o-lantern? Buy a pumpkin patch.

I love Halloween.  Not the scary, "All Hallows," undead, haunted house Halloween.  I love cute Halloween,  you know, pumpkins, funny witches, happy bats, dancing to "Ghost Busters" and "Monster Mash."  I love Halloween socks and especially Halloween jokes.  In fact here are some of this year's favorites for your reading pleasure:
 "Why do vampires need mouthwash?  Because they have bat breath."

"Why don't angry witches ride their brooms?  They're afraid of flying off the handle."

"What did one ghost say to the other?  Do you believe in people?"

"What do Italians eat on Halloween?  Fettuccine Afraid-o"

"Why are most monsters covered in wrinkles?  Have you ever tried to iron a monster?"

"Why don't mummies take vacations?  They're afraid they'll relax and unwind."

(This one's for all the nerds I love.)  What do you get when you divide the circumference of a jack-o-lantern by the square of its radius?  Pumpkin Pi"

And my favorite:  Two monsters went to a party.  Suddenly one said to the other. "A lady just rolled her eyes at me.  What should I do?"  The other replied, "Be a gentleman and roll them back to her."   :)

When I was a little girl, the responsible kids went trick or treating for Unicef before they went around on the greed walk.  I did trick or treat for Unicef one year.  It was not as rewarding as was shown on TV.  I wanted to help the starving children in foreign lands, but not many people answered their door and of the door answerers not many gave me their money.  But trick or treating for candy,  that I knew how to do.  The awesome year that my parents decided I was old enough to go with my friend and no adults I dressed up in my Dorothy costume and my friend in her scarecrow costume, (we both took dance from the same place) grabbed our pillowcases and hit the pavement.  We walked for miles (okay throughout our neighborhood and the adjoining neighborhood) until we started encountering houses with the lights off.  When a man commented on my hefty loot I decided that I could possibly have enough candy.  I returned home, sorted the candy and ate the candy until I thought I would never eat candy again. (if only)  So great. I mean, who doesn't need 8 lbs. of candy?

Is it weird that I love the smell of pumpkin guts?  I'm so sentimental about the whole pumpkin carving process.    I remember laying out the newspaper, cutting the top off the pumpkin in an asymmetrical way so as to be able to return it to its rightful place, and scooping and scraping the slimy membranous seeds and goo.  So much fun, unless the stuff got on my arms, and that I couldn't abide...sensory issues.  We didn't have templates in those days, but our family jack'o lantern never had a common expression.  My Dad would employ his artistic skills and carve something fantastic, then Mom stuck a pin in the bottom of the pumpkin to anchor the small taper candle.

When we lived in the country and our house was 1/4 mile off the main road, it was a little heart breaking to watch my mom prepare for the trick-or-treaters that didn't come.  She started inviting (begging) people to bring their kids to trick or treat so she could give them a homemade caramel apple, but I think my Dad enjoyed being free from sugar distribution being a dentist and all.

Creating and wearing costumes is always a plus, but I have to confess,  I experienced some anxiety along with the fun.  I mean, "What if this isn't the day to dress up?  What if it's tomorrow?"  "What if there's a costume memo I didn't get and everyone is dressing as animals, not super heroes?"  Dressing up takes commitment and courage.  If you're wrong, it's hard to act casual.  And then there are the sensory issues. Costumes always have an aspect that bugs...make-up, hair that needs to stay together, hats, uncomfortable accessories, but what price dream making?  Let the dress-up games begin.

High school dress-up day 1976.  

50's dance at BYU 1978.  I'm the one in the stripes and gold scarf.  (My roommate's)

I'm trying to dress-up as an old lady.  I totally wear that apron and glasses like that now.
The nerve.  The sweet baby is Aaron.

When I grew up and became the mom, I was so excited to introduce my children to the happiness of Halloween.  I remember my first costume purchase.  My eldest and only child at the time was probably about 9 months old when I discovered an old football helmet at a garage sale.  My heart leapt at the anticipation of  dress-up joy that my children would experience.  (Okay, no one really wore the helmet, but I just needed a little more expertise in boy brains.  The hero costumes and weapons have been a hit.)  This began my costume journey.  I lived many happy years creating and recycling costumes trying to satisfy my children's desire to become whatever hero reigned supreme that Halloween.  This tradition has fizzled into shopping the Target clearance for next year.  My youngest children's costumes are considerably more professional looking than their older siblings', and I'm not saying that there isn't love in clearance shopping, but there was definitely a lot of love that went into the sewing and gluing years of young motherhood.

My first costume project.  I'm pretty sure I didn't ask them what
they wanted to be.  I got my way a lot when they couldn't talk very well.

Grandma Stoker in her "Bobby" costume.  She is English after all.
The boys are Lion-o.  I don't even remember what cartoon that came from.
The baby gets to be a clown.

New ninjas.  Recycled clown.  In Nebraska your  Halloween
costume has to fit over a down coat for trick or treating.

This is a picture that I can't get to move to the
 right place, but we had Harry Potter, the non-
committal scrubs, Sith, vampire and double adorable witches.

Star Wars Episode 1.  Momentous year.
Yes, I know my finger is in front of the lens.

Recycling year plus the injured soccer player and cute baby.

We were watching "Hook" every chance we got so little Peter Pan, Hook, Smee, a spider
and Daniel: "I don't want to wear a costume."  "Then you can't go trick or treating.
Throw on this fabric and grab a sword.  You can be a valiant prince."

Black ninja, vampire, detective, Brandon?  and the
cutest witch on the planet.

Brandon was a wizard from the Brian Jacques books, Nathan-headless, Jacob and
Eliza recycled.  Aaron was a mummy, my "go to" costume.  Unfortunately, by the
time he got home he was carrying his wrappings and looked like a kid in a coat with maybe
some toilet paper stuck to his shoe.

Heroes-the vinyl proves it.

A "dress-up and shoot" game played with the Brady sisters one awesome summer.
  "Go to the costume box and return photo-ready in 5 minutes."
Such wondrous ensembles.

Scooby-Doo, Musketeer (hand painted by Becca-she insisted on no assistance), and I forgot this guy's name.  I'll ask Andrew.  Oh, it's Link.

Vampire, Sith, and mad Scientist

Ratatouille, Ninja, Princess, parents and a kid that didn't feel like dressing up.

So it's time to get excited for Halloween.  Make sure to buy the candy you like so sneaking is worth it.  Give lots to the cute little young kids and have some peanut butter kisses and double bubblegum, and dots on hand for the teenagers who are old enough to have a job, but are still trick or treating.  And have candy corn, pumpkin muffins and apple crisp in the house, because 'tis the season.  And if you want to play the costume game, come on over.