As it turns out many people do not participate in halloween. There are printed signs that have a picture of a pumpkin with a big red line through it. There were many signs that said - No Halloween here, Thanks. (Always polite). One lady even opened the door, saw the children in costume, slammed the door, locked the door, watched us go from the front window! WOW! How about that for culture shock. They are private people. they are people with religious beliefs that do not include Halloween. Who knows why but Halloween is, in fact, an American thing.
The wonder is we had a blast! Kelly, my boss, good friend, confidante, guide in all things NZ and Australia (she is from there) - invited us to go through her boxes of costumes she had made - we had great success - and to go out with her children. Her son James was very excited and invited other children. There were seven children when all was done and they looked great. They had fun. They used their best manners even when people were not participating. We picked up other children from school that we knew and another mom joined so I had a chance to get to know her better. We found homes that were decorated (not by American standards but there were skeletons!). One lady had forgotten to get candy (can you imagine forgetting?!?) and gave the children grapes from her fruit bowl! they were safe to eat...
We came home with small bags and bellies full of candy, better knowing our friends. That is success in any language!!
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