Happy Halloween!

Back in Canada – Halloween is a pretty big deal. I can remember as a kid getting soooo excited to wear my costume and to eat all the candy that’d I’d be running around the house and would get a nose bleed from all the excitement (yes I know I’m lame)

Even now, I love when Halloween comes around and my friends on FB post their pictures of their costumes from the Halloween party weekends. It’s amazing how creative some people can get and it’s always interesting to see what ‘theme’ will be popular. Even at work it’s been a tradition to dress up and have a team pot luck.

Unfortunately in New Zealand, they don’t really celebrate Halloween – at least not across the country. Some expat Canadians and Americans must have been trying to bring it over though as the stores have decorations, costumes and candy for sale, but it seems like unless you’re in a neighbourhood with some expats, they don’t really celebrate it. My cousin who’s been here for 17 years told me stories that prove they may not REALLY get it either – showing up on at doorsteps on Oct 30th, showing up with no costume on but expect candy, etc. Although having not grown up with Halloween, I guess I could see the idea of dressing up in some creepy costume and knocking on strangers doors asking for candy may make us seem like the odd ones haha.

So today I decided to bring a little Halloween spirit to the office, not knowing whether anyone else would even remember it was Halloween. I made some scary eye ball cake pops I saw on Pintrest which turned out to be quite the hit in the office.

Scary eye ball cake pops

When I asked people what they thought about Halloween most said they don’t celebrate it, but it seems the kids are starting to hear about it (maybe from their expat kid friends) so some neighbourhoods are putting out a balloon to show they ‘support’ Halloween so parents and kids know whether that’s a ‘Halloween friendly’ home with candy to share. I did see 2 people dressed up while waiting for the bus – one a witch like costume, and some kind of superhero (a ~50 year old man in a red cape with creepy makeup that came up to me at the bus stop)

I have to say I missed dressing up this year, the candy and excitement that surrounds Halloween, even for me at 29! EVERY year I carve a pumpkin – and considering they don’t really have pumpkins here (well apparently they do but they’re really small and green?) I missed out on my favorite Halloween tradition this year.