Most of you know about the depths of my obsession with Halloween. To me, Halloween is a time to bond with friends, family and children in a fun atmosphere. In my eyes, is the one time of year that people can let their creativity shine, and be whatever they want to be. It is the "holiday"...if you can call it that, which separates the men from the boys, the leaders from the followers and, most importantly, the party-animals from the party-poopers. Halloween is one of those days that creates memories and bonds that last a life time, not to mention hilarious photographs. Because Australians are always willing to party and will pretty much always agree with an excuse to drink, it surprise
d me to learn that the adults were missing out on this favorite American tradition! I thought a little Halloween party was in order. Let's just say, I knew that it would be a hit, especially when we got funding!The idea started with some home-made invitations, and spread like wildfire to the higher-ups of the company that we work for. Within 2 days of the idea, we were sponsored by the company with a $3000 budget! This was to be the party that I've always d
reamed of, and trust me, we didn't spare a dollar. Our house mate/supervisor, Pete or "Wheels" or "Spaz" as he prefers to be called (he's 40, and an absolute wild man to say the least) was gung-ho from the very start. So with $3 grand, and my party partner-in-crime in place, the spending began. I have to say, finding halloween decorations and costumes wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but it all came together beautifully. We ended up spending $1000 on the best seafood money can buy, and the other $2Gs on decorations and booze...the makings for a fabulous party. We decked the house out complete with blacklights, spider-webs, hay bails and glow-in-the-dark creepy crawlies. After a week making tombstones, carving jack-o-lanterns and watching the candle wax drip onto wine bottles to create the perfect candlearas, I was in Halloween heaven. Now I just had to make sure that people actually showed up, my biggest fear considering that the invitees were all diesel mechanics...not really the costume type...or so I thought.Not only did some of my coworkers show up in costume, but many of them brought their costume-clad partners and children as well! What a time we had, and everyone absolutely loved the decorations and personal touches. One of the wives came up to me and thanked me perfusely for giving her son the opportunity to dress up as the Joker, something he had been wanting to do for years! We mixed drinks, cracked shell-fish and danced until the wee hours of the morning, and everything went smooth as peanut-butter. My boss couldn't stop praising me for helping to get everyone together in a fun, zero tension atmosphere. The BIG boss for the entire company even showed up with his wife, dressed as a witch and a warlock! We weren't even expecting them...not to mention in costume. I think I made a pretty good impression that night, but most importantly, I had an absolute blast spreading my love of Halloween with my costume deprived co-workers and their families. The looks on their faces when they set foot in our haunted house was absolutely priceless. Now we just have to take the decorations down, and I must say I'll be sad to see them go. Maybe we'll just leave them up for one more day...
