An unexpected box arrived from family in San Francisco. There had been rumors of the box but the adults had kept this information quiet from the children. The boy child recognized the return address and, along with the girl child, cracked it open.
First there were bats...6 assorted, spooky bats slightly larger than life-size. The girl scooped them all up and claimed them for her room. We are WAY past the 'pink is my favorite color' stage. The bats have since been returned to the Halloween bin (according to the girl) temporarily.
The boy claimed all the large (horrible) red and black fuzzy spiders. They are still in his room.
Why does Architectural Digest keep by-passing our house? Is it because of the decor in my children's rooms?
The box included a rat, named Ratawampus, a skull, which was the one thing I felt like we were really missing, and a small pirate skeleton.
Then the box had a brown paper bag with a warning label, cautioning the parents that the contents of the bag may induce nightmares. We opened it carefully and found a delightful, beheaded bride. She is wearing a white dress, naturally, and she is holding her head in her arms. She has red hair and a fairly anatomically correct neck stump covered in blood. She is truly gruesome!
My daughter hung up the bride on our kitchen door. She has named her Margaret. Every morning she comes down to breakfast with a cheery, 'Hello Margaret'.