Happy Halloween! This little holiday comes with so much build-up and anticipation. The month of October always starts with a care package from my mom and culminates with trick or treating fun! Mabel has been asking when it will FINALLY be here since she first noticed the festive decorations in the window of our local CVS store back in August!

While Halloween is only one night, we’ve started to look at this holiday as an opportunity to replenish our supplies for imaginative play. We’ve been able to find some pretty cool dress-up items this time of year through online buy/sell/trade groups, costume swap events, or by trading with friends. It’s the perfect time to stock up on fun dress-up outfits and accessories! The creative costumes can spark lots of imaginative play throughout the coming year.

Since kids in NYC don’t usually trick or treat in the traditional way by knocking on house doors, we created our own little “suburban Halloween” with a few friends who live within a few blocks. We each take turns standing in front of our buildings and invite the kids to “trick or treat.” As the kids walk down the sidewalk together, their little parade also sparks some joy for afternoon commuters!

Although it is very different from the way Emily and I grew up trick or treating as kids, there is certainly a magic about Halloween in New York City! Local shops and restaurants invite kids of all ages to stop by to trick or treat. From the time that school gets out in the afternoon until late in the evening, kids can walk along the sidewalks and fill their bags with goodies!

Tonight we ate an early dinner, helped the girls into their costumes, and then walked the blocks of our neighborhood. The girls enthusiastically ran into store after store holding out their treat bags, until they declared their bags were too heavy to carry. I was happy to take on the job of candy bag carrier and was delighted to learn that Kit Kats now come in white chocolate! We finished the festivities with an epic Halloween Party at a local church and then walked home with friends.

It’s nights like these that remind me how special it is to be a part of a local community. New York City can feel so big at times, yet it is made up of so many small, personal neighborhoods. Tonight we stayed within a 5-block radius from our apartment, and as we were walking the streets we ran into so many familiar faces. Happy Halloween!!

 

Thanks for pinning!