We didn’t exactly hold a séance in a crypt, but we do have a couple of funny Halloween anecdotes to share from this year’s neighborhood festivities.
First, our street rarely sees a large crowd of trick-or-treaters, so we stayed home Friday night to hand out candy to the small group of kids who braved the dark, sidewalkless road. About two dozen children made the rounds, and most visits were typical: brief “trick-or-treat” calls, a quick compliment here and there, and the steady shuffle of small feet moving on to the next porch. One unexpected moment stood out, though. A quartet of pre-teen girls—dressed as fairies—arrived together and, instead of the usual candy request, launched into an enthusiastic critique of our interior decor. They didn’t shout “trick or treat”; they practically sang, “We are in love with everything in your house.”
We were a bit taken aback. Compliments from twelve-year-olds on paint color, furniture placement, and countertop accessories aren’t exactly on the standard Halloween script. We smiled, thanked them, and handed over some M&Ms, but as we closed the door we could still hear their excited murmurs about our living room layout as they moved down the block. It was oddly flattering—home decor praise from a gaggle of tiny fairies—and a reminder that even the smallest visitors can leave a big impression. We’ll happily accept compliments from pint-sized interior designers any year.
The second anecdote involves Burger, who provided the only visible costume representation in our household. Sherry and I chose not to dress up this year, but Burger wore a glow-in-the-dark skeleton T-shirt, which was enough to make him the designated costumed greeter at the door. He wasn’t thrilled about the shirt, though. Every few minutes he would break into exaggerated, wiggling attempts to remove it, hopping around with the kind of dramatic flailing motion that only makes sense to dogs and toddlers. Those brief bursts of contortion were so ridiculous that we grabbed the camera and managed to capture one of the episodes on video.
We opted not to embed the video here, but it’s a small, charming clip of Burger fussing with his glow-in-the-dark shirt while still dutifully letting kids take candy. Watching him battle fabric in fits of comic frustration became one of the more memorable parts of our evening. The kids didn’t seem to mind; many of them giggled, pointed, or paused to pet him between house calls. Even when he tried to wriggle free from the shirt, he stayed near the door, tail wagging and ready to accept a belly rub from anyone passing by.
All told, it was a quiet Halloween that offered two unexpectedly delightful moments—a group of decorators-in-training and a reluctant, skeletal-dressed greeter providing entertainment. Small-town or low-traffic streets often have fewer visitors, but that can make the interactions feel more personal. Instead of being overwhelmed by a swarm of costumed strangers, you get to share small, memorable exchanges with each group that stops by.
We hope everyone else had an enjoyable Halloween, whether you hosted a bustling block party or handed out candy to just a handful of trick-or-treaters. If you have amusing or ghoulish tales from the night, we’d love to hear them—funny costumes, odd requests, or unexpected compliments all make for great stories. Feel free to share your favorite Halloween moments from this year.