The Pralle’s 3rd Annual Halloween Party, Bash, Shindig, Get-Together, and Hootenanny commenced this past Saturday evening the 29th and, as far as I can derive, a decent time was had by most.

It was an odd party this year — oh, wait, we haven’t yet gotten a “normal” party out of the event, so maybe that’s just our lot in life. At any rate, it was an odd party, mostly because we are now in a new, bigger house so the expanded space of the larger living quarters had to be dealt with in terms of entertainment venues, decoration, cleaning, organization, convenience, housing, lighting, etc. The setup took a lot of work and planning, but in general it came off fairly well.

One thing we didn’t plan well on (well, and it was mostly NOT our fault) is the number of people that ultimately came. We invited close to 120 if you counted every possible person, but only got about 20 at the party. No RSVPs, but we wanted that — casual party! Come at the last minute! Please!!!

Discrepancy? *sigh* Which is fine — the people we had were great, I think the vast majority had fun, but the lack of numbers presented two distinct problems:

1. There were groups of people we invited because we knew that if we invited them as a group, at least they’d have someone to talk to that they knew (for instance, my coworkers), so when only a few representatives showed (IE: 2 of my coworkers), it got a little bit odd for those people, and for that I felt bad;
2. With the lack of people to fill up the spaces that we designed (yes, designed) to be filled by our guests, the loads of people didn’t balance right. They, as Paul so aptly put it, “cliqued” into smaller groups. Previously at our parties, you couldn’t HELP but talk to EVERYBODY because they were all within 2 small rooms right next to each other. There wasn’t any possible way to avoid talking to every single person when they were cuddled underneath your armpit. Now, with the expanded space, we tried to engineer the party to flow into a size where you would have separate groups in each space, but that was a GOOD thing because it made distinct separations in conversations but the conversations within each space were united. Unfortunately, we missed both marks and fell rather badly into the “general mish-mash” party setting where people grouped off but really didn’t have to because there weren’t enough people to do it, but there were too many people to all have in one room. Doh-freakin’-doh.

Sometimes you hit the target, sometimes you hit the target without a parachute. Technically accurate, but it lacks artistic flair. Unless your organs strategically splash, of course.

One thing we definately had enough of is FOOD. I shall be scarfing down cake, pretzel dip, and related items with wild abandon until my intestines are whistling, “Hail Mary, Full of Grace”.

Now, because I can, some costume commentary. If you want pictures to go along with them, better check out this.

Best costume of the night? There were several that I liked. One was the ever-present femality of Paul. Every year for 3 years he has come as a female character and it never fails to surprise and amuse. He went all out this year in growing out his fingernails to proportions that make sane women weep in ecstasy. The fact that he’s half Scottish and went to an all-boys Catholic school probably has Jack M. Squat to do with his choices of get-up.

Another excellent costume, much to my shock and horror, was my mother’s. She dressed as “Miss White Trash” and acted the part, too, complete with bottle in brown paper sack and cigarettes in her cleavage. The mere fact that I had to write “mother” and “cleavage” in the same paragraph has now left me blind. My father also pulled off an excellent one as a pirate, including eye patch and bandana and a coat made entirely of real furs, some of which shed onto my floors and got sucked up by the power of 12 COLD-CRANKING AMPS the next day.

Funniest? I think the award for that one goes to my coworker Sean and his wife Kara. Sean wore a blue tshirt with the “Almond Joy” logo printed on the front and, “Sometimes you feel like a nut…” on the back, and Kara wore a red tshirt with “Mounds” printed on the front and “..sometimes you don’t.” on the back. Most amusing. They’re a cute couple anyway, but the mere fact that they were matching candybars says so much…

Some of the other costumes were fairly good, the “Mummy To Be”, which was the half-toilet-paper-wrapped pregnant woman, the guy with the “Nudist on Strike” sign hanging around his otherwise-clothed neck, the 80′s girl complete with blue hair, etc.

I know some people think it’s LAME to dress up on Halloween, but those people are the same ones that think that breathing is overrated, too. Get a life, folks. Sure, every holiday is getting more and more hyped beyond belief and marketed via every possible channel until there isn’t a single drop of blood being squeezed out of the consuming body anymore. I hate it just as much as you do.

That being said, with holidays, I figure there’s still something intrinsic to be gained from participating in them as long as you do it in a thoughtful, genuine way. Family and friends, good times, chatting, making friends, laughing, getting hammered together, finding the joy in the idea of just being around others — these are all hallmarks of a good holiday experience. Don’t wait until you might have a child to explore pure joy in such an experience again.

All in all, while it wasn’t the best bash I’ve ever been to, I think most people had a decent time and if nothing else, a night of letting down their hair and relaxing with some other people. And that can be invaluable.

Looking forward to the 4th annual Halloween bash already!