What Izzy found scary this Halloween was how something you've looked forward to for so long can turn out to be so disappointing. You can have an amazing circus ringmaster costume (red hunting jacket from thrift store $6, sequins and accessories from AC Moore $5, glitter hat from party city $6.99, jodhpurs and riding boots own), carve an awesome pumpkin ahead of time, and have your best friends over for a well-planned out sleepover and still.... your parents can spend too much time standing on a street corner in Meadowmont and talking with their friends till the houses run out of candy, the kids in your neighbourhood who were supposed to meet up on your cul-de-sac never show, and your sister can make the sleepover a misery by messing up your careful sleep arrangements and insist on having one of your three friends in her room in addition to her single own friend.

Ah. Now how will Thanksgiving and Christmas stack up? What about the 11th birthday next year? What's gonna fall flat next?

By contrast, Lexi takes these things very much in her stride. For months she had wanted to go as the Corpse Bride, but made a last minute change to use her Spiderella costume from last year as Vampira. I bought some fake fangs for her which she decided not to use in the end cos they made her drool. So she was some vaguely pale lass in a black dress but she couldn't care less. Lexi's priorities were to get candy and have fun with her friends. Izzy needs to learn a little from her sister.

As for us parents, Hol and Ken's bottle of wine transported in a cooler bag saved the day. What's Halloween without standing on a pavement with a glass of red? Irene and Ronnie accustomed us to the tradition in Sunset Square and it's nice to know they have kindred spirits on the other side of the world!