This is Halloween 2012

This year we´re having a "Nightmare Before Christmas" halloween dinner Wednesday before halloween. Packages wrapped up in orange, black, ribbons and paper. Tiny branches of miniature pine cones, from the trees outside the house. Pumpkins, small sugar pumpkins and large Jack-O-Lanterns. Halloween music, such as Witches Brew 1, Witches Brew 2, X, Y, Z 123. And a festive fun halloween meal of delicious halloween foods. Dressing up in halloween costumes, for dinner and then opening pressies. We love halloween, and it´s one of the kids fave holidays! They´ve been asking for ages what we´re doing this year--every year is something slightly different. Trick or treating is not really done in are area, though it is for both Norwegians and non, in other parts of Bergen. Lots more usual in Oslo too, and for nearly a decade or more there:).

Am very excited, nearly as much as the kids! I have so much fun, with planning, and making stuff for it:)

At Lagunen yesterday, got a few halloween pressies, and had them wrapped up in halloween colors. I really liked this paper and ribbons, and had several things wrapped like this! And others wrapped in all black with black spider decorations. When my grandma wrapped Christmas presents, she always made the wrapping as beautiful as she could---really my fave part, even more so than the actual present! She would decorate with ribbons, and tiny accents such as a tiny Christmas ornament, photo or candy cane, etc. I always try to do the same with ours, and now for the halloween ones too!

shhhhh! one of these is a fine rustic tiny mortar and pestle, for the kitchen,)

Some of the other wrapped pressies in black with a little white, I´ve had all wrapped up the same. When time I´ll add a few fun tiny toy spiders, pumpkin stickers or similar, to decorate the outside. Other pressies will be wrapped in plain brown butcher paper, then I´ll use some halloween rubber stamps and craft paints in orange, black, purple and sea foam green to decorate the paper. With lots of curling ribbons in same colors. or orange and purple raffia.

The woman wrapping the gifts, was kind enough to wrap quite a few of them exactly alike in black with black ribbons and white accents. She did a beautiful job!

This year´s costumes for the kids. For this a halloween one night this week, and next Wednesday (actual halloween) Halloween Night out at the UIB Cultural Museum´s Family night (see other post).

Both dresses have wire hoops, like cute Antebellum dresses the girls like:). The dresses are great for twirling, flouncing and dancing! :) With accessories like brooms, hats, aprons, etc as in next photo.

Of course, I´d planned on making all the costumes, but in reality, just didn´t have time. Ended up finally choosing the store-bought option, and was lucky to have it here.

Each girl has a slightly different dress, and color. Plus a pumpkin costume I also found, so they can switch out if they like. The pumpkin costume I found at one of the charity resale shops so it was a quid or so I guess. These dresses I got at Nilla in Nordnes.

Yesterday, finally found the last costume, the skeleton, in the correct size for son. That one was found at Toys R Us at Lagunen. Then some of the other things too, like the wrapped presents.

Remember for halloween, especially those just starting the celebration traditions, that when kids have MASKS on their face, make sure they can BREATHE and SEE! Many cute masks do not allow one or both!  The mask with this suit is cute, but I don´t think it is very good for breathing, as the mouth area is solid with no holes, so I will cut some in.

It´s hard to tell in the photos, but all the costumes have reflective bits on them too:)

Some of the stuff set out on the table, so I can see what all I still need to get: Pumpkins!:) and more candles.....and uhm hmmm shhhhhh c a n d y