Halloween Weekend

Man, this has been one tough week.

After spending a four day-weekend to celebrate Halloween and All Saint’s Day, we have another three day weekend coming up.

This has made the three days in between the toughest I have ever had in years.

Not that work is heavy. On the contrary, work is so light, it just adds to the regular yawns I have been making all day.

Oct. 24 to Oct. 28

This week was spent making sure everything was done for the month.

From the filing of end-of-month reports to conducting the monthly updates, time was literally crammed into just a few hours of work.

And after work, we had to make preparations for Halloween and All Saint’s Day.

So that meant going to the grocery to buy candies for the Trick-or-Treating kids. Then hopping over to the mall to get Halloween decorations, some of which I had to blow up with my own lungs and what looked like a straw. Then I had to help prepare the costume of my nephews and nieces.

In the case of All Saint’s Day, we needed to get a fresh set of candles, make arrangements with our florist, and buy Pork Barbecue from the corner store.

Oct. 29 to Oct. 30

And just when I thought I could get some sleep on Saturday and Sunday, covering Oct. 29 and 30, I was wrong.

Last minute costume changes costumes took up most of my time. And it didn’t help that my nephews and nieces refused to cooperate while they were being fitted with the rough patchwork of material.

I, and the rest of my family, had to try every trick in the book. From telling stories to doing funny dances to singing out loud just to keep their attention away from the fitting. In the end, all it took was to turn on the television for them to stay in one place.

Then there was the cooking that my wife had to do.

Not only did she have to prepare our weekly meals, she added more dishes and increase the amount of food for the Halloween party and family meetings in the next couple of days.

Mind you, these were all unplanned. So in between fittings, we had to go out and buy additional ingredients from the market and grocery just to meet the unexpected visitors.

So as I was banished to the living room with cutters and paint brushes, she was stuck with the pots and pans in the kitchen.

So much for a nice relaxing weekend.

Oct. 31

On the night before Halloween, we finally plopped down into bed at two past midnight. Not bothering to shower, we were asleep in about five minutes.

Instead of having the luxury of staying in bed late the next day, we were roused at eight o’clock in the morning because relatives from the provinces started trickling in.

So taking turns in entertaining guests and showering, we started our Halloween celebration earlier than expected.

By two in the afternoon, everyone was packed into their cars and we made our way to the next village, where my other relatives reside in.

And after just making the cutoff time, we finally ushered our little boys and girls into the contest.

Not everyone won, but we did walk away with a few prizes for the most original costume in varying age groups.

So after days of hurried work, trouncing the gaggle of angry birds and mobs of zombies was a great feeling.

By five in the afternoon, we were off to the different houses. And though many took cars from house to house, we chose to walk because it was more fun.

Ice cream, cotton candy, and even Taho, were piled to little loot bags of our kids. And though most houses gave less per kid this time around, several places made up for the lack of candy with sheer creativity.

A couple of homes were decorated like a haunted houses, complete with costumed goblins, to keep kids screaming.

And by seven in the evening, it was time to serve the food my wife had slaved to prepare in advance.

Most required a convenient reheat or a quick re-steam and the grilled pork chops and squid needed no prodding to eat.

And by the time midnight came, the beer, wine, and Champaign bottles were all empty. The plates of chips and other pulutan were piled up in the kitchen. And the few remaining dishes were packed in doggie bags for guests to take home.

With nothing else to eat and drink, people finally said their goodbyes. Everyone was unanimous in hoping that when we met up at the cemetery later that day, our hangovers wouldn’t be too bad.

Nov. 1

As it does every year, a slight drizzle greeted us in the morning. This made the weather kind of cool, even if the sun was out.

Thankfully, I didn’t suffer any hangover effects from the previous night’s alcohol. I did however suffer from sleep deprivation and was groggy the whole day.

But, as it is a tradition of our family for generation, I ignored the lack of sleep and downed a light coffee to drive away the cobwebs.

We then piled in to the car at seven in the morning and headed out to the first of three cemeteries.

Traffic was surprisingly light. I guess the four-day weekend had people taking much needed vacations in various locales in the country.

This allowed us to visit all three cemeteries without a hitch. But though the roads were open, parking was not.

I spent most of my time in the car looking for an open parking slot. And since people stayed the whole day, I had to park the car several blocks away.

Had I not lacked sleep, it wouldn’t have been much of a problem. But even with the magic of caffeine, it was quite a struggle to drag one foot in front of the other.

At least I was able to lead a few prayers during our visits.

Finally Over

And when the day was finally over, my wife and I found ourselves lying in bed unable to sleep because we were too tired.

It would be another two hours of staring at the ceiling or channel surfing because we forgot to get new DVDs.

And by that time it was twelve midnight, we finally fell into a snore filled night.

Thankfully it is was Wednesday, so the week would be short.

I just hope that the next week won’t be as tiring as this one, because if it is, I just may need an extra day off from work.

Though I may sound pooped, which I truly am, these last week has been most productive and satisfying in a long time.

We were able to get decorations, buy candies, create costumes, and win prizes. We cooked large dishes, hosted a huge family dinner, and visited three cemeteries.

Not bad; not bad at all.

I just hope Christmas won’t be as hectic. Then again we don’t have costumes for that season, do we?

Oh well, time to break out the beard, glue, and scissors again. At least I have a three-day weekend to work on costumes.

So till my next article, I hope your Halloween was as frightfully fulfilling as ours was!