Saturday, October 28th
Our first Halloween parade costume contest, from inside a grape. First sent to my newsletter on October 31, 2023.
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2 min read
Saturday, October 28th - Town Center
Surrounded by over 200 people, I’m wearing a skintight merlot-colored bodysuit and covered in a hundred wine-red balloons. On top of my head is a dainty green grape leaf. Inside my head: pure embarrassment.
Fortunately, I have with me by my side - a beautiful pineapple, the cutest blueberry and an adorable banana baby. And at my feet - a very angry strawberry, barking at anything close with four legs. This was the scene at our first Halloween parade costume contest, and up until the last 5 minutes of the event, it felt like torture.
The blueberry kept rolling off to catch a glimpse of a bike or a truck, and the strawberry dropped a #2 in the middle of the crowd. The pineapple had her hands full with the banana, while I was nearly immobile, covered in fruit.
“Happy wife, happy life” - the mantra repeated in my head. Halloween is an opportunity to show her I care - not about winning this stupid contest, but about being a supportive member of the family (and the showstopper in this year’s homemade ensemble).
So I kept my complaints to a minimum and did my best to win over the judges as they made their rounds through the contestants. And finally, when the results were in - we did it! Taking home the blue ribbon for group costume.
I felt bad for the 2nd place family (they carried the confidence of reigning repeat champs pre-award and didn’t hide their disappointment post). But mostly I was proud of us and thrilled with the outcome - it was almost worth it!
I can’t say I’m excited for next year. But I’m happy to have another opportunity to show my wife & kids how much I love them by dressing up like a fool in front of the whole town.