all hallows eve
I love Halloween—it's probably no secret that it ranks high on my list of favorite holidays. I love the creativity inherent to the holiday; I love scheming about my costume for weeks in advance and finding just the right elements to bring it all to fruition. Autumn is my favorite season (although spring and summer are not far behind) and my grandparents' pumpkin patch was an integral part of my childhood; the pumpkin biz runs deep and has undoubtedly fueled my fondness for the month of October and its festivities. My love of Halloween, however, stops short of anything creepy, gory, scary, devilish, etc. I like spooky cheer and fun, but I realize not all people share my general parameters of the season.
In the weeks leading up to Halloween, I had not heard about much that would be happening in my social circle to celebrate. I had been feeling the dearth of festivities so I decided to throw a Halloween party myself. I had nearly forgotten how much I enjoy throwing parties; it's been a few years since I've had parties with any degree of regularity, and it was fun to dive back into hosting.
As much as my sweet tooth likes to take point in my life, I generally hit my limit very quickly when it comes to Halloween. We had some sweet treats, balanced out with a cheese plate (black pepper-rubbed toscano and blood orange chocolate chip baked ricotta[!]) and pumpkin black bean soup. I wish I'd doubled the batch of soup as it went so quickly! I used this recipe from The Minimalist Baker—I love the Thai-Mexican fusion twist and I will absolutely be making it again. I had also found some Belvoir ginger beer—I love their elderflower lemonade and their ginger beer was perfection.
After a weekend at the pumpkin patch when I was a kid, my grandma would send us home with enough tiny pumpkins to take to our classes at school and give out to our classmates. I continued the tradition with a visit to a sweet little pumpkin patch down the street and we had an array of permanent markers for adorning these tiny 'kins.
My favorite thing is that the green gourd is called an APPLE GOURD!
Most of the party decorations were made out of paper (bat silhouettes that I cut out while watching netflix and hung with thread, crepe paper streamers, kraft butcher paper from the dollar store), pumpkins, and so many candles (mercury glass and brass candlesticks galore!). I also switched out our dining room art for some appropriately spooky/thematic art (some pilfered from my bedroom walls, which were very bare for a week or so, having just been restored to their rightful places on the wall just tonight).
My roommate Harmony had Halloween cookie cutters, which were too cute to pass up. I used this recipe at the recommendation of my friend Jodi (who runs a bakery with a cottage food license from her home kitchen! she's legit and therefore I trust her baking recommendations implicitly) and would highly recommend it if you're in the market for a perfect sugar cookie recipe + technique (REFRIGERATE THE DOUGH AS INSTRUCTED. It works wonders).
My friend Ally dressed up as a South Side Serpent à la Riverdale—SO GOOD. (and I swiped the photo on the right from my roommate Harmony, as I didn't get too many photos during the festivities)
Adrienne and Candace had the perfect dog and cat costumes (please note Candace's Hello Kitty sweater).
My coworker Hannah is cousins with my friend Madeleine. We made the connection a while back and it was so fun to have all of us in one common social gathering.
Angie had the perfect Wilderness Explorer costume from "Up" and Christian dressed as Brad Leone from "Bon Appétit".
I love living so close to my cousins again. My niece Evie loved Elle Woods' fluffy pen and kept stealing it (which I was more than happy to allow her to do, seeing as she is the cutest child of them all). She drew the little scribbles/love note on the pumpkin decorating table. I love her so much.
I've thought long and hard about the seeming paradox of my love of party-throwing and extreme introversion—the two seem incompatible, n'est-ce pas? I have come to several conclusions, which seem to shed some light on the situation. In addition to being an introvert, I am also very much a Type A personality and I generally prefer a modicum of control in my life. As the party host, much of the decision-making is in my hands and therefore I have some baseline understanding of what I can expect. I have also noticed that I tend to get less over-stimulated in crowds when I experience them in moderation, that is, gradually. As party host, things start out quietly with just a couple guests. The crescendo is more gradual, as I have already settled in the party atmosphere when things start to pick up. This feels more natural than arriving at a very loud and chaotic party and diving right in—my personal nightmare. I am introverted, but I have deep and sincere relationships with many friends, on a personal basis, one-on-one. Parties still allow for these kinds of interactions, as well as the facilitation of introducing people I adore to one another and often fostering new friendships as a result. Parties also serve as a creative outlet for many things that I enjoy—cooking and baking, creating an inviting space, and using simple materials to transform a room, among other things. It may seem an oxymoron, but broken down in this way, it all makes a bit more sense, doesn't it.
These thoughts and party-recapitulation are a little jumbled and all over the place, but no matter. Last but not least: the party music.
This was such a fun playlist to brainstorm—I wanted music fitting the overall vibe and ambience of the party, which was classy and spooky, without veering into creepy or scary territory. I tried to think of songs that were tangentially Halloween-y without being outright or obviously Halloween-themed. I was surprised how many songs fit the bill. Some playlist footnotes:
• I think my favorite unassuming playlist contribution is "Not Alone" by Sara Bareilles—it has the perfect spooky vibe so it had to be first.
• "Witchcraft" by Frank Sinatra is another favorite on the list.
• oh and obviously we had the theme song from "The Wizards of Waverly Place," a.k.a. a throwback to the earliest roots of my Selena Gomez fangirling.
• "Perfect Day" is a Legally Blonde soundtrack selection, an homage to Elle and my costume.
• "Fallen" by Mya is the song that plays in the Halloween dance entrance scene in the 2004 hit classic "A Cinderella Story"—otherwise known as a playlist Easter egg for fellow Hilary Duff fans.
I hope you had a happy Halloween, however you spent it and whatever it entailed, and that you were able to participate (or not) to the exact degree that you wanted! (costumed, not-costumed, candy-doling, or holed up watching a spooky movie, etc.) Happy haunting!
p.s. This is not strictly party-related, but on Halloween Eve (or Mischief Night, where I grew up), the moon was setting a few hours after sunset and it was the tiniest sliver of waxing crescent, burning orange in a black sky—I have to believe it was in honor of Halloween.
