Forgot about Jack-o-lanterns

Living in Kiev, I now realize just how much I relied on all the fanfare in stores to prompt me into action celebrating the season.....

Said another way, Halloween totally snuck up on me

OK, maybe it sounds like an excuse - but honestly, I only came across ONE single Halloween display in this city of 3MM+

At a fish restaurant, of all places!

While the city was totally Halloween quiet, our international school has enough Americans (~1/4 of the teachers & 15% of the kids), the Primary school started to 'do Halloween' a few years ago

Zoe's grade 1 celebration was as elaborate as any:

Kids dressed up....

Moms brought in an elaborate spread....

Crafts, games & cookie decorating....

But there were a few touches that reminded us we "weren't in Kansas anymore"

Nannies in attendance (in lieu of parents)

A professional photographer sent in (by a local parent) to capture it all

(relatedly, we went to a kid's birthday party here where the parents stayed on a different level eating / drinking the whole time - including when the cake was eaten, meanwhile paid for a videographer to capture the whole thing)

And unlike in the US, where a Halloween party of some sort is almost a birthright, it varied at our school.  The boys' grade 3 & 5 classes had nothing planned.

Thanks to the festive supplies Nana & Sissy sent, we were at least able to ensure the day wasn't sugar free.....

And thanks to our Primary School Principal being American, Trick or Treating at school was added a few years ago.

We got ready with some homemade / home-assembled costumes:

Mr. Pig....

(who quickly ditched most elements of his costume)

Mr. Candy...

(who reported it was not fun to be attacked by kids grabbing at his candy & have to run away from them all night)

And a Wink imported from Costco

Crammed into the school lobby anxiously awaiting the 5pm open

Then went from class to class gathering candy

While I originally worried 1 hour wouldn't be enough, the kids were done with the loop in ~15 minutes.   The boys proceeded to the playground, Zoe & her posse kept at it making ~4 loops, raking in a ton of candy

(too busy to stop for a frontal shot)

Despite it all, I still felt guilty that we didn't carve pumpkins.  

So headed to the market this morning - and now have another excuse....the only pumpkins available:

Last year we tried carving these - got several broken & bent knives to show for it

So instead, we agreed to keep our decorations out until they get replaced by Xmas decor 

Maybe a bit feeble

But it is 'character building' to be flexible, right?

And, at the end of the day, these are technically Jack-o-lanterns

Here's to the fun of Halloween - and remembering to eat your Mars(TM) candy every day of the year