It was a crisp but pleasant evening. Clouds scudded gently across a star-studded sky, and the smells of autumn wafted through the air.  The candy bowl was placed by the door, all the decorations for Samhain were up and ready for the all the little children, and the pumpkin was carved and lighted, its bright, wolf-shaped light a beacon to all who searched for the houses with treats.

We were excited. With the weather being so nice, we knew that before the night was over, we would have a whole village of costumed children come to our house. Last year, we'd had just over 60...

The children came.  Tigers, clowns, princesses (a regular princess and a very well done vampire princess)... Even Death visited us - and he had an assistant! We were told, however, that Death was taking the night off; he and his assistant has both forgotten their scythes, and they couldn't take souls without them.

But, as the evening wore on, the children disappeared. Soon, the entire block was eerily silent.  Almost an hour went by before one more costumed child appeared. Then, there was nothing more. The final tally? Only 25 children came to our door.

So, we now have a ton of candy to deal with over the next 3 to 6 months. I'm sure it will be gone before the end of this year - it's all chocolate - but I want to remain optimistic.  I would like to delude myself with the belief that we can make it last longer than a month.

So, how was your Samhain?  Did you have lots of kids? If you took your kids out, did they get a good haul? Was the weather reasonably nice?  Did you remember to turn your clocks back one hour? 

Happy All Saints Day!