Since Halloween isn't widely celebrated here, I didn't want him to feel let down or disappointed. So, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to make it special for him. A week and a half ago, we ran into some of my son's school buddies at Toshimaen. The mom invited my son to a Halloween gathering right after school. We excitedly accepted. It would take some coordination, but I was sure I could make it happen.
This morning, my son went merrily off to school knowing the day was going to be filled with joy. I went to the store and spent the remainder of the school day cooking, doing laundry, and cleaning my house. I also got everything ready for all the afternoon's activities.
After picking up my son from school, we headed to the park. The other families met us there. All the moms were quickly changing their kids into costumes. I loved seeing all the cuteness. Soon all the kids were running around the park like a bunch of hooligans, laughing as they darted about. We let them expel some energy, then it was time to pass out the candy. The moms spread out. Some hid behind trees, while others stood out in the open. The kids, still full of energy, ran from mom to mom trying their best to say trick-or-treat.
My son's face was shining with glee. He didn't care that he wasn't going from door to door. He was happy wearing his costume, playing with friends, and collecting candy.
We had to leave too soon. My son had a class to attend. I sat in a coffee shop and relaxed while he did his thing. When his class was over, he passed out little gift bags of candy to his classmates. They were shocked and excited. I was impressed with how many thank you's he received.
We then wandered over to a friend's house who asked us to come trick-or-treat at their place. Their family prepared some treats for him, and were excited to have him come in his costume. It was so much fun to pop over and let him ring the doorbell. He turned on the charm and gleaned way more than one piece of candy.
Up next was a visit to our next door neighbor. She was delighted to have her first trick-or-treater in years. My son was excited to have another chance to perfect his trick-or-treat technique.
At the end of the day, my son was glassy-eyed with happiness. He gave me a huge hug before he headed to bed and whispered in my ear "Today was the best day. I loved everything."
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