In the Spirit of the Season

I haven't ventured downtown to see if there is a giant spider climbing its way up the Empire State Building but I am enjoying how the neighborhood is decorating for fall. Even my little bodega on the corner pulled out all the stops. Spooky? No. Entertaining. Yes.

It's no surprise that not one Halloween themed decoration made the move from the Midwest to Midtown. Halloween was never my favorite holiday to decorate or prepare for. I was the mom who was always perusing the store aisles on October 30th to come up with a nifty, creative, original costume when everything looked like Alfred Hitchcock's birds had picked, picked, picked over everything. I seemed to luck out every time so my son never had to head to school as Wonder Woman or a barely recognizable fruit or vegetable. To this day my favorite thrown together costume was the "Where's Waldo" outfit we managed to pull together at the last minute - striped t-shirt, Harry Potter glasses (before there was a Harry Potter), stocking cap, and jeans. Done! Ready for the door to door candy marathon.

In New York they seem to pull out their credit card, make the call to the florist or interior decorator and Poof! instant holiday themed doorstep. Kids have been running around the streets for several days now dressed in costumes that have become part of their wardrobe rotation. Yesterday a court jester and Robin Hood were curbside when I walked out of our apartment.

Gates and barred windows that looked functional and practical now harbor all the spiders and creepy crawly things you would never want to touch. I think the decorating is more of a deterrent than the bars themselves.

It's really a fun time to be in the city as long as I don't have to dress up myself, find a costume for someone else, or put real pumpkins on my window ledge to rot. Other than that I really am in the spirit of the season!