GHOSTING

Two nights ago our house was "ghosted".  For those of you who may not know what this means, it's when a neighbor drops off a bag of treats with a sign that reads, "WE'VE BEEN GHOSTED" and a poem that reads much like this:

Late last night we left you a treat

The tradition is one we hope you'll repeat

Take the ghost and pin it to your door

To let others know you ghost no more

Now it's your turn to pass on the surprises

To tow more families you must advises

Gather some treats and deliver them soon

Within two nights under the light of the moon

Include a ghost with each package you give

Along with this poem for the tradition to live

Before posting the sign on the door, one makes two copies of the poem and the sign.  Sometime in the next two nights we make a bag of treats and decorate the sign in order to ghost the next neighborhood victims.  In our neighborhood, Halloween night is often when the "ghosters" reveal themselves.  The neighborhood kids who come to trick-or-treat will see the sign they decorated hanging on our front door and tell us if they ghosted us before they can say "Trick or Treat".  They will also inform us if they are still looking for that "ghost" who "ghosted" them.

Who will we ghost?  O and I recently came to know that Joe from her kindergarten class lives in our neighborhood.  O couldn't wait to ghost him.  This year we assumed we had been ghosted by our dear friends, as they get us every year, however after a few texts with my girlfriend, I came to know they had not been ghosted yet this year.  Perfect.  We had our two and we had work to do!

We prepared our poem, signs and bag of treats.  We ended up preparing three signs as O became attached to one and felt it necessary we hang it on our front door.  OK.  I reminded myself that when I had children I took the oath that I would pick and choose my battles and this was one of those times.  Upon packing the bag of treats O switched it up a notch and put in some Z-Bars and some cheese-its.  I couldn't help but think how lovely it would be if ghosting was not only about treats for the kids, but treats for the adults.  I might just have to "ghost" a bottle of wine to two friends in the neighborhood and create my own poem all the while creating a new tradition in our neighborhood.  Instead of the sign saying "We've Been Ghosted", it can say, "We've Been Boo-zed".  With a poem that reads:

Late last nite I left you a bottle of wine

Git it, "You've Been BOO-ZED"

To your door please pin this brown bag

To let others know you've been boo-zed

Git it, "You've Been BOO-ZED

Or don't pen it as it wooldn't really be a bad 

Thing to be BOO-ZED again

Git it, "You've Been BOO-ZED"

Now it's your tern to pass on the spirits

Two more families within two nites

Under the lite of the moooooon

Include a bottle with each brown bag you give

Along with this poem.  

My apologeeze for the rhimes and mispells...

I obvously drank my bottle too soon.

Git it?

After all, Halloween can't be just about the kids!

We headed out just after dark.  It was pouring cold rain so we wore our rain coats and took our umbrellas so the sacks wouldn't get wet.  We snuck up to Joe's front porch first.  We took a good look to ensure no one had ghosted him yet and we were to happy to see no one had.  We left the sack and ran away giggling.  We headed to the home of our dear friends.  As soon as we got to their driveway we heard conversation and realized they had just pulled in and were getting out of the car.  We ran across the street and ducked down behind a bush.  We were giggling and had that exciting childlike feeling of being caught, but holding onto hope that we wouldn't be.  O walked a few feet from me to see if they had gone inside their house yet and that's when I heard one of their girls yell, "Hi O."  O waved.  Then she ran back to my side and giggled again.

Once they were inside we ran up to the porch and left it hoping they weren't looking out the windows.  Then we ran home all the while giggling and laughing as we basked in the thrill of it.  It was so much fun!  However, I was relieved that we wouldn't need to go through that again till next year.

As we came downstairs this morning, we noticed our "We've Been Ghosted" signs had fallen down.  When we opened the door we realized someone had ghosted us again.  I sure hope it's not raining AGAIN tonight.  Kindergarten SUCKS!