Halloween Party

They don't really celebrate Halloween here in Sweden. They are starting to, but still don't really understand how it's done. For example, they go trick-or-treating anynight during the week of Halloween. The only trick-or-treaters we got came on November 2nd. Also, they think that if you dress up, you have to wear a scary costume - so no disney princesses or spongebobs or anything.

Last year was the first year that Tipton really got into the whole Halloween and Trick-or-Treating thing, and I felt bad that he wouldn't get to go this year. So I decided to have a Halloween Party for him. Here, at our house. For his entire Kindergarten class. Now, you know in the US if you invite the entire class, you can pretty much be sure that half of the class won't be able to come. Not so here. Out of 22 kids, only 5 couldn't come. So I had 17 five-year-olds in my house, plus someone's older sister (a second grader/7 year old), plus Lilli. It was very, very loud in my house. But the kids had a good time.

Tipton's friend, Aaron was a skeleton. And Aaron's grandmother got Tipton a skeleton costume, too. The day of the halloween party, the costume was lying on Tipton's bed. Lilli wandered into Tipton's room and decided to try it on. And she did, all by herself!

It fit Tipton a little better, though...

Then the kids arrived and the fun began! We had decorated the playroom, thanks to my Mom (aka Grandma Suzie) who mailed us ALL of the decorations! And we set up a table with crayons and halloween stickers (courtesy of Grandma Suzie) and paperplates for the kids to make into masks. The masks were a big hit.

Earlier in the week I had made pumpkin shaped sugar cookies. We set up a Cookie Decorating Station in the kitchen with orange frosting and halloween sprinkles (courtesy of Grandma Suzie.) The kids came in four at a time and decorated their own cookies. By the time the party was over, (most of) the cookies were dry. The kids got to take home their cookies.

And then there the snacks. I made caramel corn and rice krispie treats and apple slices and gohst crackers and ghost shaped marshmallows and juice boxes. The kids (and grownups who stayed) really enjoyed the snacks.

We also had a CD of spooky sounds and music playing in the living room. The kids had a great time running out of the room and down the hall every time there was a particularly scary sound. Then the Monster Mash came on. My friend, Sam, taught all the kids how to "do the mash."

And of course the kids also enjoyed playing with the toys in the playroom. (We had, um, "removed" any toys that might get broken or cause arguments.) Here are the three skeletons (Nicolas, Tipton and Aaron) hanging out.

Lilli started off the party dressed as a pirate, but she kept 'acquiring' bits of other costumes as the party wore on. This is how I began and ended the day - vacuuming, with Lilli on my hip!

All in all, it was a great party. Tipton got to celebrate Halloween and the kids had a great time!