Tricks and Treats

We've been busy here the last couple of days. The week of Halloween festivities has finally hit and kicked off with two things: a story and an early bout of trick-or-treating.

I'm awful about remembering my camera (and when I have it in hand, my photographs aren't necessarily worth hanging on to - one might think my children are simply colorful blurs rather than actual skin and bone children), but I really do wish I had it Friday. Our town and it's down town businesses do an annual Halloween walk in the afternoon a week or so before the holiday. This was our first year participating, but having done the town Easter egg hunt in the spring, which was similarly organized, I felt it would be well done, safe, and fun (which it was).

E., after much deliberation, decided she wanted to be a farmer, and a friend luckily spotted a pea pod costume for M. in a local consignment shop (we couldn't quite decide what he was going to be, so it was lucky we found the costume!). They both looked absolutely adorable and a lot of folks got a real kick out of their get up. I think for Halloween I'll even add a nice little blue ribbon for E.'s prize winning, and pretty huge, pea pod.

And now, for a story. I really enjoyed coming up with our Michaelmas tale early last month. I don't normally consider myself a good off the cuff story teller, but lately that skill is becoming fine tuned. It's especially helpful to have little M. to test things on. So, when I wanted to come up with a bit of a Halloween-y story that also corresponded with our changing scenery this is what I told M., and then later, E.

Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a little goblin who lived under a stump. All little goblins love to play tricks, and this goblin was no exception. 

One crisp, autumn morning the little goblin came out of his hidey-hole and looked up at the green, green leaves of the trees. 

"I'm tired of these green leaves," he said to himself. "I should play a fun trick to change just that!" 

So each night, for many nights, the little goblin went out and painted the trees leaves. Some were golden yellow, others firey orange, and still more were golden red. Very soon, all the leaves were different colors and the little goblin was very happy and so where the people who would walk in the woods and gaze up and the beautiful fall leaves. 

After some weeks, as the autumn air grew cooler, the goblin began to grow restless and tired of the colorful leaves. He was ready for another trick. 

He thought to himself - "Wouldn't it be fun if all those leaves feel to the ground. The would go swoosh, swoosh crunch under people's feet, and mothers and fathers would rake them up into piles and children would jump in them or hide in them and pop up and say, 'BOO!'"

So each night, for many nights, the little goblin went out and shook the trees, making their leaves flutter down to the ground. The wind helped, too, and soon all the trees leaves fell to the ground, going swoosh, swoosh, crunch under people's feet and being raked into piles from children to jump and hide in. 

The little goblin was very happy with his tricks that autumn and thought perhaps it would be fun to do them every year. And from then until now, everyone has seen his handiwork in the autumn's colorful and falling leaves.

E. really loved this story and has since requested others (including one featuring a swim in "our" lake). I've told her she has to give me a couple of days to think of something, but I think I can fulfill the order.

A quick little note: This little story is my intellectual property. If for some reason you feel like you'd like to share the story online, please link back to my blog. Thanks! :-)