Skeletons in the Closet. Literally.

It's been two weeks since Halloween and I haven't yet posted about my plans. Actually, I haven't posted about anything. Sorry!

Anyway, I haven't posted about what I did for Halloween because I didn't do anything for Halloween. This was the first year that I didn't dress up, getting all excited, planning my costume and party route for days or weeks or months. Boo.

So instead of talking about how I came down with a case of The Lame or The Old, I'm going to write about my mom and her Halloween Craziness.

Here are some background facts you'll need to know:
1) My family doesn't celebrate Christmas (Jewish)
2) I got my crafty, decorating, event planning streak from my mom
3) Although she's highly organized, my mom has a kooky and silly side

Up until a few years ago my parents threw a massive Halloween party for friends and colleauges. Now, I don't mean, a get-together with some snacks and drinks. I mean a full-out, tarot-card-reading, magician-circling, painist-playing, party with a best-costume contest. The guests outdid themselves year after year, but no one got as into the Halloween Craziness as my mom.

Since she couldn't put her energy toward Christmas decorations, my mom scouered the craft and holiday aisles, and bought up all the clearance items the first week on November. She built up an entire Halloween arsenal in our basement, complete with giant Frankensteins, witches with glowing eyes and special dishes. But the real find? The 6 inflatable skeletons.

Since she and my dad wore matching costumes year after year (pirates, Zoro and girlfriend, Jeanie and Astronaut, etc) my mom had a pile of leftover costumes. So she dressed the skeletons in costumes. And at the beginning of October, she'd arrange them around the dining table to eat off of Halloween plates with scary, spidery silverware.

For the first few years they had them, my parents would unflate the skeletons year after year, leaving them with the flat and folded with the other decorations. But then, my mom realized that there was no reason for this and left them stacked on top of each other in the closet. Cue mandatory 'skeletons in the closet' joke here.

But that wasn't the end of the skeleton craziness. No, No! Why should they languish in the closet? My mom decided to keep them in costume and propped them up on the empty couches and chairs in the basement so they could hold court year-round.

Is my mom a weirdo? Yes. But is she a fun weirdo? Yes.