Halloween and Bonfire Night

It's hard to believe that this was our third Halloween and Bonfire Night in England!

We went trick or treating again this year, in the same neighborhood as last year. This time we invited a new American family who had recently moved to the area. There aren't tons of houses that participate, but it was still fun (and the kids certainly have enough candy).

Clara was Gecko from PJ Masks, Lily was a vampire, and Miles was a Minecraft creeper.

Poor Miles could hardly see out of his mask. We led him around until he decided to ditch it.

Just a few days later, we went to a local Bonfire Night celebration, which is always a family favorite.

Walking to the bonfire area

We were lucky to have very mild weather, so we didn't have to fight the crowds to stay close to the fire.

We met up with some friends, and let the kids loose on the bouncy castles. It was a great way to have some adult talking time without boring the little ones. Then the kids all got glow sticks and we hung out closer to the fire.

Miles did a glow stick show while we waited for fireworks (he's doing the green blur).

During the wait, Lily decided that she wanted to have her face painted. Matt took her to get in line, and there they stayed until after everything was over and most of the people had gone home. Luckily she was able to see the firework show from the queue.

Miles and Clara stood with me during the show, and they loved it.

After the fireworks, we said goodbye to our friends and waited for Lily to finish having her face painted. She was so patient for the hour that she was in line. I bought all of the kids some sweets, and soon we were on our way home.

When we got back, Matt took out some sparklers he had bought, and Miles and Clara held them on the sidewalk.

Overall it was a fun evening, and I'm glad that we get to celebrate English and American traditions with the kids. I hope the weather is as nice next year!

Bonfire Night

I'm a little late on this, but we got to celebrate our first English holiday on 5th November.

Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night, dates back to 1605. Guy Fawkes was a member of the Gunpowder Plot, a conspiracy to kill King James I by blowing up Parliament. He was found guarding explosives underground, and he and the other conspirators were found and sentenced to death.

Historically, there was a lot of anti-Catholicism involved. Effigies of the Pope and Catholic leaders were burned. Those particular customs are no longer associated with Bonfire Night, but you can check out Wikipedia if you want to learn more.

Today, the holiday is celebrated with bonfires and huge displays of fireworks. People make effigies of Guy Fawkes, which can be burned in the bonfire.

We went to a celebration cohosted by the kids' school. Matt's mom was in town too, so she got to come. There were hot sandwiches, raffle drawings, and a bouncy castle. There was also wine and beer for the adults, woohoo!

It was really cold, so much different than the 4th of July events we've been to in the States. We were all bundled up in coats, extra pairs of socks, mittens and hats. We didn't get many pictures because we needed our gloves! Miles found a friend from school, and the kids played on the bouncy castle until the bonfire was lit. The cold didn't seem to bother them at all... yet.

Clara and me in front of the fire. I think that's Lily next to me.

Once the bonfire was going, we walked over to warm up a bit. There was a crowd, but since the fire was so big it did help. Briefly. Luckily the fireworks started soon after, and all three kids were just enthralled. By the time the fireworks were over, poor Lily was shivering, so we grabbed a flapjack for the kids and headed home.

Overall it was fun, especially for the kids. For days after, Miles talked about how Bonfire Night is his favorite day ever. I'm looking forward to celebrating again next year, and hopefully it's just a little warmer!