Halloween 2017

I was in Tel Aviv last Halloween. I was expecting just another day, but the people of Tel Aviv take any excuse to party. It was not a trick or treat, jack-o-lantern Halloween, but it was plenty festive.

This year, I was in Hong Kong. Lily and I have made a point of celebrating every Halloween that we are both in town. We have thrown parties at our apartment, at friends' apartments or simply shown up to something somewhere else. Hosting and/or finding some action on Halloween is pretty easy in Hong Kong. There is nothing the least bit traditionally Chinese about it, but Hongkongers get into it far more than I would have expected before I came here. The biggest struggle for me is figuring out what to do for a costume.

Halloween coincided with our annual visit to Kevin's boss's house at Clear Water Bay. We all love staying at that house, and it is a great place to throw a Halloween party, but I had to pass this year. The isolated location is usually a draw, but when you can't drive and can only walk short distances, it is inconvenient. At home, the nearest 7-11 is downstairs. At Clear Water Bay, it is a few miles away. My favorite part about the house is the swimming pool and hot tub. All of my doctors forbade using both for a few months. Being at that house and not being able to swim would be torture.

Unlike previous Halloweens, I had very short hair, like I was in basic training, and a large visible scar. That is almost begging to be used in some Halloween fashion. Any other type of party and I would have declined immediately. I got tired too easily and being surrounded by people was harder than relaxing at home. There was also the issue of a large visible scar on my head. Everyone I know personally knows the full story, but in a party setting, there are always people I barely know or have never met. I understand the curiosity, and I don't mind talking about it, but the same Q&A over and over again all night is taxing.

Hats are the obvious solution, some might say. Have they ever been to Hong Kong? It is not the coldest place in the world. The temperatures will dip slightly in the next few months, but it will be entirely too humid until January. Go to Hong Kong in summer, put on a hat and then sit in a crowded room full of reveling people. My main rule every Halloween is to find a costume that does not steam me like a dumpling.

A Halloween costume could solve the 20 questions dilemma, and I thought about partaking. We came up with a few ideas, but ultimately I was not up for it. Thanksgiving would prove to be easier. I could do dinner with the family.