Halloween 2020 in Berlin

This was our third Halloween spent in Europe.

Our first Halloween was spent in Crete during our 2018 fall break from school (https://atomic-temporary-144439175.wpcomstaging.com/2018/11/27/fall-break-crete/) where the Greeks did not celebrate Halloween.

The boys were extremely disappointed so we let them go to a fish spa and pick out gratuitous amounts of toppings for their Greek frozen yogurt.

Our second European Halloween was spent in Berlin. (https://atomic-temporary-144439175.wpcomstaging.com/2019/11/16/halloween-2019/)

Here we trick or treated with our neighbors up and down Kastanienallee (Chestnut Avenue) in shops, Spätis (convenience stores), Apotheke (pharmacies) and restaurants.

This year, we took a more cautious approach.

The weekend before, Ben and I went hiking with friends and then to a pumpkin patch to pick up pumpkins for carving while Dave and Issac spent the day in town (we like to split them up so each gets one-on-one time with each parent as well as time away from each other).

The boys loved carving their pumpkins and we enjoyed seeing the jack-o-lanterns lit on our balcony each evening.

On actual Halloween Day, we spent the day with our neighbors (who also have boys in the 4th and 2nd grades).

The boys played video games together, had an outdoor game challenge (in order to earn their Halloween candy) and watched a Halloween show together.

They also knocked on two neighbors’ doors (we had cleared it with the families ahead of time) for a more traditional, though scaled back, experience.

The moms made pumpkin soup and chili for shared meals including an almost excessive amount of Champaign and wine for the grown ups.

While it was not the full out experience the boys grew to love back in the US, we did our best given Coronavirus and the boys seemed quite happy with how everything went.

Mission accomplished!