My kids have spent Halloween in France, when Halloween didn’t exist there yet. By the end of our time in the land of wine and cheese, the holiday was slowly finding its way into the culture, but in a very small way. We usually spent it at organized parties with other expats. By our last year my daughter’s class organised a march through the neighbourhood that I will never forget(read about that here) and the Boulangerie gave out “phantom’ meringues. We had three trick or treaters that year. It was a big deal!

One year we had a hotel-Halloween in Bali, Indonesia. Our kids bar of expectation for the North American holiday had been set so low that they thought the small-scale activities that the hotel planned were fantastic.The last two years Halloween was spent in Congo, and one of those years they trick or treated in their underwear. Seems totally inappropriate, I agree. But it didn’t start out that way.

It was our first year in West Africa, about 45 degrees Celsius, and the girls were running through the streets in polyester princess dresses. It was either loose the dresses, or suffer heat stoke. It was a panty parade through the ‘Hollywood’ neighbourhood of Pointe Noire.

The trick or treating was strategic and well organized but an amazing group of expat moms. We were given a map and sent trick or treating to the houses that had been pre-organized to have candy.

I’ve written before that while living overseas, one of the things that I felt like my kids were missing out on was Canadian Halloween, likely equal or second best in the world, next to our American neighbours.

For North American children, Halloween memories are some of the pillars of our childhood. For my husband and I we only really realized this once we had our own children and they weren’t experiencing Halloween. Our kids were obviously getting the gift of living abroad and learning about numerous countries and cultures. But we also felt like they were getting cheated from what we both considered some of our favourite childhood moments.

It’s something I’m looking forward to this year of ‘firsts’ for our family. The kids’ first Canadian Halloween is a very big deal.

It started at the beginning of October. This was already something very different for my now 5 and 7 year old. As far as they were concerned, Halloween was a party they went to that they got to wear a costume, it lasted a couple hours, they were given a few candies, then they went home. Also, it often happened on Saturday afternoon, no matter what the date was. Halloween night could come and go and they wouldn’t have been any the wiser. They lived on a French compound after all. If Halloween was happening on a Saturday afternoon, a week prior, between 15hr and 17hr, then we’d take what we could get.

So you could imagine their curiosity when we were driving to school the first week of October and they saw a house decked out like the Griswald’s at Christmas, but with a Halloween theme.“Mom? Is it Halloween?”, my oldest asked form the backseat.

“Not yet, but it will be at the end of the month!”

It’s been the longest month of their lives I imagine. They’re used to me telling them that Halloween is coming, because they didn’t get a clue from the changing of the seasons while living on the equator for the past three years. Then we’d rummage up whatever we could from the playroom to turn into a costume, because believe it or not, there’s no ‘Party Store’ in Congo. Then a few hours later, we’d be at the Halloween party. Within a five hour span they’d hear about Halloween, get together a costume, go to the party, eat the bag of candy and that would be that.

Now they had to wait an entire month?!?! Pure torture!

As the weeks marched on, the decorations became more elaborate. There were pumpkins everywhere, larger than life spiders covering front lawns, and inflatable everythings, everywhere!

Our neighbourhood was suddenly on Halloween steroids!

In a feeble attempt to keep normality until the actual date, I tried to downplay things, thinking the last two weeks of October would be enough celebrating. This seemed like it would be possible until we entered any store. From groceries to home decor stores; there wasn’t a place that hadn’t been draped in all things Halloween from the front door to the check-out. By the second week of October costumes had been purchased and we had mini pumpkins lining our front walk. We’d been bit by the festive bug!

Each day on the way to school we also drove by a sign advertising a costume party for kids 7 and under. My 7 year old INSISTED we go, because next year she wouldn’t be allowed. Since it was under a 2 minute walk from our house, it was unavoidable.

“Sure, we can go,” and squeals of delight echoed from the back seat!

Even the wait for that was difficult.

This past Sunday, three days before Halloween, I walked over with my dragon and Elsa for their first official Canadian Halloween activity. There was face painting, pinatas, hot dogs, cookies, crafts, popcorn machines, movies, ‘guess how many jelly beans in the jar’, a full photo backdrop and each child left with a full size pumpkin. They also left with a giant bag of candy, and Halloween themed pencils, paper, erasers and toys.’’

“That was fantastique!” My little Frenchies were thrilled!As far as they were concerned, THAT could have been Halloween and it would have been the best day ever! But they go to school in Canada now and have been FULLY brought up to speed by their classmates, just exactly how things are going to go down on Wednesday. They are ready. They know the drill, even if this IS their first rodeo.

“Should we carve the pumpkins now?” I asked as they plunked them down on the kitchen island. I had two more in the trunk of my car as a surprise for the day so we had a big job ahead of us.

Their eyes got as big as saucers.

“We’re going to CARVE the pumpkins?!”

That’s right, my newly landed immigrants hadn’t had the pumpkin carving experience yet!

So we carved them out while they were jacked up on candy and their faces were painted up like Elsa and a beautiful dragon. This was basically the greatest day of their lives….and we haven’t even got to Halloween yet.

Just wait my little foreigners. The 31st isn’t here yet.

Get ready for the culture shock girls. The bar will be raised. And you’re about to have your little minds BLOWN!