ghosted!

I’ve mentioned a few times that our new neighborhood is turning out to be pretty awesome. Tons of (well-behaved!) kids with friendly parents; everyone has been so welcoming since Day 1. We’ve spent a few Friday nights hanging out in the neighbor’s driveway until near midnight, shooting the breeze, drinking some beer, eating some pizza (well- Dan drinking the beer, I stuck with the pizza!) The kids just adore Maggie- she always has a friend to play with outside, and a few times we’ve even felt comfortable enough to let her play a few doors down with some of the kids while we stayed in our yard (a couple of the older girls- age 10 or 11- played babysitter). And we’ve been here for less than two months and already we’ve been invited to a Halloween party.

So basically: we’re loving it.

This week starts a neighborhood tradition: ghosting. Everyone in the neighborhood gets a paper ghost. Four families are labeled as ‘starters’, and they pack a treat bag for another family in secret. Then one night after dark, they leave the treat and their paper ghost on the front porch of that family, knock on the door, and RUN! The idea being: keep yourself anonymous.

Once you’ve been ‘ghosted’, you have to place the ghost in your front window to show you’ve already been chosen. Then it’s your turn to choose a family- you have to ghost the next house within 2 nights. The process goes on and on until everyone in the neighborhood has a treat bag. (or if you’re a party pooper and don’t want to participate like our across-the-street neighbors who don’t talk to anyone else because of some MAJOR DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES DRAMA, you put the ghost in your window from Day 1 and no one will target you. Losers.)

Last night around 8pm, our doorbell rang. And of course when I opened the door, I was greeted by a white paper ghost and a pink Disney Princess bucket full of candy.

(There may or may not be a Baby Ruth or five missing from this picture.)

(And maybe a Milky Way Midnight.)

(Maybe. I admit to nothing.)

(Except for the Starburst I ate. I’ll admit to that.)

(*burp*)

Maggie immediately apprehended the Princess bucket and paraded it around the house. Then we shut out the lights and danced around the living room with the glow-in-the-dark light sticks, hers purple and mine green.

What a fun game! I think I was mostly touched that someone thought enough of us to ghost us on the first night, and also give us a Maggie-specific gift (she wanted to SLEEP with the Princess bucket in her crib last night.) And of course there’s the mystery of WHO GHOSTED US?? Then the next question: who do WE want to ghost?? I’m on a mission this afternoon to walk the neighborhood and see who doesn’t have a ghost on their window.

I’m really, really happy we moved here.

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