HALLOWEEN!!! The Office Party Face Off!!!!

GAP vs. GYMBOREE
ONLY ONE CAN WIN!!!!

Halloween is pretty much one of my most loved holidays. Most likely because my parents instilled in me the love of a good homemade Halloween costume. My mom could craft any costume my brother and I could imagine. Sometimes I'd think I could stump her...a flower, 50s sock hop with poodle skirt, ewok. She always artfully rose to the occasion. The end product was beyond my dreams. A bee crafted from scratch out of puffy pipe-cleaners that perched in my hair over the felt covered petal crown that framed my face into a flower. Time spent breaking rocks to create the perfect weapon to round out my costume. The seamless full poodle skirt with hand embroidered poodle with a golden leash that looped up to the belt. She always got the details right. My mom, the artist - her medium, Halloween costumes.(above: 1982 poodle skirt with Erin, sock hop friend and 1984 ewok with panda friend, Melissa)

So, I've pretty much been waiting my entire life to carry on the family tradition and artistry. This is only my first year. Hope my skills grow yearly!
As Alston is a bit too young for trick-or-treating, this year was about office parties for us!

Thus the battle of the office party began.
The Gap hosts trick-or-treating, cookie decorating, ball toss, costume and pie eating contests

Gymboree hosts extreme theme hall decorations and trick-or-treating
All the excitement might be boiling close to overload for our wee robot.
Who will win??? YOU DECIDE!!!

The Gap event was a brainy family affair. Large quantities of sugary treats were consumed by the parental units. We entered the group costume contest but were robbed victory by some store bought costumes and a pack of crazy Gap-sters dressed as the entire "Jon & Kate plus Eight" family with media entourage.

Some other friends spotted at the Gap Festivities:Galen, the bee and his keeper (Ralph)

Ferocious Calvin Tykoh!

A Spiderman sighting left Patrick truly stunned

The day following "Gap-oween", Alston and I hit the Gymboree corporate offices, where our friend Kate works. The theme halls were fully realized and quite mind-melting for Alston. Each floor is decorated in one or two theme halls, including

• an "UP" movie themed area featuring a miniature house with absurd amounts of helium balloons
• winter wonderland
• Willie Wonka Chocolate factory with theoretical lick-able wall paper and candy, candy, more candy
• Several outdoor "camp" themed halls (our host, Kate-skunk can be seen below entering "Camp Gym-bo-wawa")
• Star trek outer-space hall (with a spaceship control panel that really captured some attention)
  

Woo, a good time was had wandering all the halls by the end Alston and his brainy mom were really ready for a nap. Can't wait to do it again next year!