This year was S’s first real Halloween – the first time she went trick-or-treating. Last year too, she dressed up in a costume while handing out candy (she was an Angry Bird last year, which somehow seemed very appropriate for a 2 year old).
This year she was a Ladybug. She almost wasn’t one, though – on Halloween Day the weather turned suddenly chillier – it had been in the 50s all week, but on Halloween evening, it was in the low 30s. We seriously considered switching to a warmer, fleecy animal costume (like a tiger) where she’d be more covered. Wearing a jacket was not a great option because the ladybug’s wings would get in the way. But S herself wasn’t bothered by the weather – she was dressed in layers anyway, and tends to have more tolerance to cold than we do (being born here makes a difference, maybe ?) I did wrap a red-and-black striped scarf around her head for protection, which got compliments from the neighbors (“did your Mommy make this for you?”) Nope, it’s actually Grandma’s handmade scarf.
She went trick-or-treating with R to a handful of neighbors’ homes, while I held down the fort. We had more than 100 kids come treat-or-treating, and this is probably a reduction from past numbers. Handing out candy is something I am not uncomfortable with, and I’ve blogged in the past about the strange and crazy experience that trick-or-treaters bring. But the neighborhood kids have grown older and better behaved. They still sometimes remark about their candy preferences, but it’s polite and appreciative. (“I love Reese, it’s my favorite !” sounds much better than the previous “I hate Snickers, it’s disgusting !”).
After the trick-or-treating, S settled down to help with handing out candy. She doesn’t like candy herself, is not the least bit interested in eating any. As much as I’d like to pat myself on the back for my excellent parenting skills, I suspect I have nothing to do with this preference. Well, as long as she doesn’t tell the neighbors their candy is disgusting 🙂
Finally, here she is, handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters :
Handing out candy
The Imagined Universe 
What a coincidence! My daughter M’s first Halloween costume (at age 1) was a Ladybug costume. This was homemade though. I just made a flattish polyfill round cushion in felt and sewed a few black spots and a line down the middle, with four ties, and combined it with red sweatpants and fleece top. For the head, it was just a black headband with pipecleaner antennas. No trick or treating though, she was too young for it.
We got only 4 kids this year (an all time low), just because of the cold rainy weather. We ate more candy than we gave out 😦
That sounds like a really cute (and weather-appropriate) costume ! I admire your enthusiasm – I was far too lazy to bother with even a store bought costume when she was 1. She wouldn’t have known any different anyway (probably not the case if she had an elder sibling)..
Btw, my comments in your blog never get posted (for weeks/ months? now). Do they go to moderation or have they disappeared in space ?
I suspect the comments may have disappeared in space. The last comment I saw from you was back on the post about The Moth, and none thereafter.
It’s so much fun dressing up the kiddies when they are so young and taking them around. Once they get older, they are not so much into the costume part and more into other things. The parties appeal to them, and trudging around the neighborhood is no longer a magical experience.
I tested commenting on your latest post 2 more times and again the comments disappeared. You may want to check your settings..there are no links or anything that should set off moderation..
We had kids who looked as old as 13-14 come trick or treating, but not older than that. I guess after that, even free candy isn’t as attractive ? 🙂
Lekhni, you are right. The comments you have been making have just vanished. It appears that other people using Blogger also have run into this issue. I have tried resetting settings to less restrictive defaults, so if you could kindly assist by just posting a ‘testing’ comment, I would be most grateful.
I did, and it went through ! I am glad that is resolved now.
Looks like she had a wonderful time! It’s also awesome that she doesn’t like candy! One less thing to worry about! 🙂
Well she doesn’t for now ! No guarantees as to how long this phase will last 😦
Nice reading about your lil one..Good catching up after a long time..hope all is well your end!
Thanks, I keep hearing that I need to post a lot more about the little one. Maybe I will – her statements are far more interesting than mine anyway!