Halloween in Australia

Being brought up on a steady diet of US and British television does strange things to how you view the seasons when you live on the other side of the planet.  Some celebrations are inexorably linked to the seasons - like Easter and Spring, Winter and Christmas and Autumn and Halloween and when the leaves are falling at Easter, it's hot as Hades at Christmas it can be difficult to really feel the "spirit" of a holiday.

For example this:

and this

do not exactly inspire a spooky Halloween-y feeling.


And perhaps that might be why that particular holiday has never really caught on here, despite my best efforts.  As a child I really really wanted to celebrate Halloween - free lollies from the neighbours and fancy dress made this THE perfect holiday in my eyes.  I would ask my parents beseechingly if I could dress up and go trick or treating like the kids on TV only to be told that "we don't celebrate that here" and that was that.  When I had my own daughter and she in turn asked if we could do Halloween I indulged her, thinking that since the Halloween merchandise was in the stores that surely the holiday was catching on here.

Lollies were bought, a jack-o-lantern was carved (from a Queensland Blue pumpkin.  I wholly do not recommend doing this - they are diamond hard compared to a carving pumpkin) and a costume cobbled together and on Halloween we set off down the street to wheedle some sweets from the neighbourhood.  We were met with confusion, amusement and one slammed door....and not very many lollies for my disappointed child.

In subsequent years I would dutifully put out the Jack-o-lantern and stock up on goodies just in case our own house was visited by trick or treaters, but it was only last year that we had more than one group of kids.  Still, I am ever hopeful.

As part of my pro-Halloween campaign I've decided to let Miss B have a party this year.  We did one 2 years ago and it was a huge success.  Although I seem to remember it also being an insane amount of work...perhaps that is why we didn't have one last year!

Miss B will be going as Evil Alice in Wonderland because I recently made this costume for Bookweek and I am determined that it will be worn again regardless of if she would prefer to go as something else entirely.

Just add a new and blood spattered apron and she will be good to go!  I am equal parts excited and terrified.  10 noisy girls in one small house....what have I let myself in for?