I’ll be honest—I’ve never been a huge fan of Halloween. As a kid, I hated scary things and opted for funny or cute costumes (Disney princesses, Laura Ingalls Wilder, etc.). Even the year I went trick-or-treating as the Big Bad Wolf (as part of a Little Red Riding Hood-themed group with my friends), every single neighbor opened the door and said, “What an adorable kitty!” Every. Single. One. I obviously hadn’t perfect my snarl.
My friends always seemed to have better costumes than mine. One memorable elementary-school Halloween saw my best friend Andy transformed in his elaborate homemade porcupine costume, complete with quills. A porcupine.
My costume game hasn’t improved much with age, but at this point, I’m resigned to it. In fact, reading the stories in this month’s issue has inspired me to think about Halloween in a new way—as a great excuse for a dinner party. October marks our annual food issue, and we’ve got wonderful (and delicious) stories in spades. There’s one Mound neighborhood’s annual Halloween chili cook-off (page XX); Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph’s favorite recipes (page XX); a visit to the nostalgic Minnetonka Drive-In (page XX); local craft beer from Wayzata Brew Works (page XX); and more.
In the photo above, you can see one of my favorite childhood Halloween costumes: an autumnal pumpkin. Sitting next to me, in a costume he can’t remember, is my now-husband (we first met in Mrs. Dailey’s second-grade class). All these years later, our family is growing: we’re excited to share that we’re expecting our own little pumpkin this winter—so this year, I’ll just be shaped like one.
Happy October!
Jennifer
I’ll be honest—I’ve never been a huge fan of Halloween. As a kid, I hated scary things and opted for funny or cute costumes (Disney princesses, Laura Ingalls Wilder, etc.). Even the year I went trick-or-treating as the Big Bad Wolf (as part of a Little Red Riding Hood-themed group with my friends), every single neighbor opened the door and said, “What an adorable kitty!” Every. Single. One. I obviously hadn’t perfect my snarl.
My friends always seemed to have better costumes than mine. One memorable elementary-school Halloween saw my best friend Andy transformed in his elaborate homemade porcupine costume, complete with quills. A porcupine.
My costume game hasn’t improved much with age, but at this point, I’m resigned to it. In fact, reading the stories in this month’s issue has inspired me to think about Halloween in a new way—as a great excuse for a dinner party. October marks our annual food issue, and we’ve got wonderful (and delicious) stories in spades. There’s one Mound neighborhood’s annual Halloween chili cook-off; Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph’s favorite recipes; a visit to the nostalgic Minnetonka Drive-In; local craft beer from Wayzata Brew Works; and more.
In the photo above, you can see one of my favorite childhood Halloween costumes: an autumnal pumpkin. Sitting next to me, in a costume he can’t remember, is my now-husband (we first met in Mrs. Dailey’s second-grade class). All these years later, our family is growing: we’re excited to share that we’re expecting our own little pumpkin this winter—so this year, I’ll just be shaped like one.
Happy October!
Jennifer
