Halloween 2014

Halloween is one of the several holidays, that China does not really celebrate.  It is starting to catch on a little but not really.  However, my kids LOVE Halloween and dressing in costumes.  It is important to them to get to celebrate in some way.  They think for and plan their costumes for a long time.  I try to find some place for them to go.  This year, there was a party held at the school where they take Chinese lessons.  So we signed up, paid our fee (sometimes parties cost money) and went.  

I made my "traditional" cookies.  These are just sugar cookies rolled into skinny fingers.  They have to be skinny, because they will spread.  I then, make "knuckle" lines or indentations with a knife and put an almond on the end to look like a nail.  I ran out of almonds, and had to use a few pecans.  I lie the almonds better.  Once the cookies are baked, I rub a little cinnamon on the  knuckles to make the indentations show up a little more.  

I also like to make these  little "pumpkins".  I just use peeled zhu zi.  I think they are called  cuties in the US.  The stem is a cut piece of celery (no one eats this part, usually).  This snack is easy to make because these tiny oranges are so easy to peel and are in season in October.

  This year, Liam was a Ninja turtle.  We used some left-over green face paint from a year or two ago (when Hallie was the wicked witch).  I bought this jacket off the internet.  

Eryn changed her mind a few times about what her costume would be.  She ended up wearing Hallie's old Harry Potter robes and tie.  She said she was Ginny Weasly.

Hallie was Katnis Everdeen from the Hunger Games.  She bought the Mocking Jay pin from Chinese Amazon.  She made the bow and arrows with the help from her dad.

Yes, I dressed as the Easter Bunny this year.  I wore some blue footie pj.s with a bath puff pinned to the rear. I painted on a nose, and whiskers with an eyeliner pencil.  I added some blue bunny ears and an Easter basket with eggs.

Yes, I got a lot of strange looks when I wore this on the bus. Remember, the Chinese do not really celebrate Halloween.  I felt a little like an idiot, but it is all about making memories for the kids, right?

What are your Halloween traditions?