boo yeah

I love going places I've never been.

This Halloween my husband and I dressed up in last year's costumes and walked to our local video store to return a movie - Sleepy Hollow. The bustle was just beginning. After dark, after we lit our own jack 'o lanterns, changed costumes and took another walk.

Here is what we found.

A new place. The same street we see everyday was now alive with spirit, wonder, and imagination. The neighbourhood had exploded into a fantasy world. Gangs of superheroes, ghosts and goblins, princesses and pirates and a guy that was half eaten walking around in the mouth of a shark. Hundreds of kids, parents and dogs were wandering around interacting with each other.

Interacting. With. Each. Other.

In Toronto.

It was an inspiring sight to see so many people so involved . One house (pictured) had a giant eyeball stuck in the tree and a blow up cat whose head followed you as you walked by. Two live cats were also skulking around the lawn. Another house had battery operated dummies lying on the ground scratching at the pavement and moaning. A headless farmer was perched on a hay bale, and plastic hands stuck out of the ground beside overgrown headstones. They had the most elaborate pumpkins on display - one was even carved into the face of Chucky, another was the Corpse Bride. Further up the street, a ring of ghosts hung from a tree branch and circled around a spinning wheel while Thriller played through the outdoor speakers.

Then we came home, enlightened, lit all the candles, pigged out on the candy we'd kept for ourselves, watched The Shining and put the costume bag away for another year.

Shouldn't we do this more often?

Boo!
Yeah.