Halloween Queen

Halloween shenanigans with the resident coven!

If you know me, you know my love of all things Halloween. I love the costumes. I love the decorating. I love trick-or-treaters. And I love parties! Last year, the pandemic pooped on some of our fun. (No parties. And because of Covid, we put candy out in a bowl on Halloween night, but we didn't hand it out ourselves. So, no costumes, because who would even see us? Sadness. Tears.) 

So this year, I intended to get my spooky on in style.

First up was a Drunco Halloween party at Leah's house. She's recently moved into a big, beautiful pink house in Jackson, and we were all excited to see it! We threw on our best costumes and headed over! (I'd popped by the day before to help put together a pretty little balloon arch that I'd run across at Gifts by KPEP, which I noticed completely by chance as I was strolling by. They had so many cute Halloween items in their window that I couldn't resist a stop. I also picked up some fun glow-in-the-dark plates and napkins!)

Everybody was there - Dolly Parton, a Pink Lady, Cruella DeVil, Satan, a Parisian tourist, witches - everybody. (And also, costume lesson learned for Nicole - a boned corset is no joke! I'd never worn one before, and I doubt I'll ever wear one again. Good Lord!) Leah served us all a delicious southwestern-themed dinner, and we toured the house. It's so lovely, with a gorgeous back garden, gracious entertaining rooms on the ground floor, a fun sunken study, and plenty of space. (Plus, I love what she's done with it. She has some beautiful pieces.) 

It's so good to get together with this group, as we've known each other for years and always have a rollicking time. (Kelly, who dressed as Dolly Parton, cracked me up. There was one snarled hunk of hair in her wig - in the back. She sheepishly admitted that the roomba had gotten ahold of it.)

In regards to my next Halloween adventure, I have a confession to make. I've always loved the campy Halloween kids' movie Hocus Pocus. I know it's not fine cinema, but the three leads chew the scenery with such gleeful gusto that I can't help but love it. And I've always wanted to dress up with some friends as the Sanderson sisters, but - until this year - I'd never done it.

It's so important to stay on the right side of the law. 
Don't you agree?

A few weeks before Halloween, I thought to myself, "Do I know a red head and a blonde who would even do this with me?" And, very quickly, I realized that I did - Jessica and Mandy Kate. A couple of texts later, and they were both replying, telling me that they, too, had always wanted to dress up as a Sanderson sister. 

Pretty soon, we'd ordered costumes online and were hunting up an event where the Sanderson sisters could just spontaneously show up. In the course of this planning, Jessica suggested that, since we were all singers, we could learn a number or two from the movie and randomly burst into song. 

I figured I was game, so we met at her house a couple of times, she plied us with cocktails, and we worked out the three-part harmony for "I Put a Spell on You." (Theatre folks, y'all. We. Are. So. Extra.)

We found the perfect event in Treats with Troopers, which was hosted by the Mississippi Highway Patrol. They take over the Mississippi Trademart (a huge space), coordinate the participation of some 90 different agencies, and throw a giant, free trunk or treat featuring every kind of decorated law enforcement and/or public vehicle you can imagine, flashing lights, photo ops, and general Halloween amazingness. They even had a group of guys out back grilling up chicken dinners for folks to take with them on their way out.

We showed up completely unannounced, sang and took pics with kids in the lobby for a while, sand and took pics with kids on the way out for a while, and took tons of pics with kids inside. It was so fun! So many cute little witches ran up to us saying, "I love your movie!" (And even the troopers wanted photos. They were a HOOT, and we had fun meeting them!)

On Halloween night, it was back into our costumes once more to welcome trick-or-treaters! It felt so good to do this after missing out on it last year! The kids are always so pleased and surprised when a grown-up opens the door in costume, and I love it. This year, I decided to dress as a mermaid, and hubs coordinated as a sea fisherman. (He puts up with so much from me, y'all. He really does.) 

All in all, it was a fantastic Halloween, and it felt so much closer to normal than how we had to celebrate last year. I am so, so grateful that 2021 is finally getting back to normal. Happy spooking!