Australians don’t really celebrate Halloween so it’s been quite something to be in Canada during this festive season.

Shop shelves were stacked with Halloween costumes or decorations (which were also, towards the end, pitted against a growing number of Christmas decorations. The horror! The horror!) and many store windows were decorated with skeletons, spiderwebs and the like.

It’s been years since I’ve done anything specifically for Halloween. In fact, the last time I think I was 12 and my sister and I went door knocking down our street. I was dressed as a vampire (of course) and she went as a butterfly. We didn’t make off with huge hoards of lollies (or candy) and chocolate but we at least got something.

Us in our costumes

This year, I’m pleased to say, my partner and I entered into the evil spirit of it. Initially, we hadn’t planned on doing anything but there was a street party on Church St and as we live nearby we couldn’t not go. Even if it was drizzling and cold.

So we bought our costumes and our make-up and on Halloween night joined the malevolent horde outside. What do you think of our costumes? We couldn’t go past a pair of wings.

Despite the rain, there were still a good number of people out and boy, do some of them go all out. Even during the day I saw people in full costume walking through the streets. One guy had spent most of his day making a Halo costume. It was epic.

Great to see people entering into the Halloween spirit.

Oh, and to round out the Halloween experience, I carved a jack-o-lantern for the first time in my life. I’d seen these bright orange, large pumpkins in the supermarket for the better part of a month. They look like something out of a cartoon. But I bought a couple and had fun scooping out their innards and cutting faces into their sides. Much fun!

Happy Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve and Samhain everyone.

How did you spend your Halloween?