Edwards Adventure in Paris: Halloween

Halloween was the first "big" holiday back home which we would spend in Paris. In Bellevue, our neighborhood is one where Halloween is a really big deal. Many people put up lights and decorations, some extremely elaborate. We will have over 100 kids show up in a steady stream over the course of a few hours. Our kids will walk the neighborhood and collect a mountain of candy. And we'll be offered a glass or two of wine by neighbors looking to keep the grown-ups warm too.

So, we were afraid of a bit of a letdown and some homesickness when celebrating Halloween this year. Fortunately, while it definitely wasn't the same, we were able to enjoy a unique and fun variety of celebrations in Paris.

The festivities began on the Friday before Halloween, which was the kids last day at school prior to two weeks off for Toussaint (All Saints' Day). The kids were invited to wear orange and black instead of the usual navy, white, and gray school uniforms. Paige's class concluded their day by having each student read a scary story that they had been working on to the collected group of parents jammed into their tiny classroom. Then after school, volunteers from the parents association, Erin included, handed out candy to the kids.

The next day the kids dressed up in their costumes -- Paige as Hermione from Harry Potter and Clay as a Star Wars Storm Trooper -- for an event at the American Library in Paris. The costumes had been picked up in the States by my Mom (Thanks Oma!) and I brought them back with me on my most recent trip to Seattle (along with a costume for another kid at school whose mother ordered it online and had it shipped to my office). At the American Library the kids collected candy, made cupcakes, and played games.

We continued the festivities on Sunday by venturing out to Disneyland Paris to experience Halloween Disney-style. The park was decorated with tons of pumpkins and also spiders, bats, black cats, etc., particularly along Main Street USA, where we were greeted by cackles, moans, and groans upon entering.

Finally, on Halloween Day itself we carved our pumpkins and then the kids dressed in their costumes and we went to a Halloween event at the WHSmith English language bookstore on Rue Rivoli in central Paris. Both kids participated in a costume contest that had them parade through the store. Clay won one of two first prizes (and a €25 gift certificate) for having the best "favorite character"! Overall there were around thirty kids in costumes, a mix of expats and Parisiens.

We then wrapped up the day by doing some trick-or-treating. But instead of going to homes, we visited a dozen or so businesses near WHSmith. It was fun to see costumed kids among the locals and tourists and to see the shopkeepers getting into the spirit.

The night ended in typical fashion -- tired kids, too much candy, and jack-o-lanterns glowing in the night. It felt enough like home.