Snow, And Some Ancillary Matters Like Hot Chocolate

For quite some time, I've used Halloween as an excuse to sit on my front porch or moral equivalent, make hot cocoa, provide spiking for it if desired, invite friends — especially friends with kids — and quietly celebrate Halloween.  I'm not into scaring folks, getting drunk and partying, or generating pre-Election-Day propaganda.  But I tried to have fun.  I might get a small buzz on, but not so much that anyone would be scared to bring their kids to my house or the like.  Halloween to me is about letting kids go to strange houses and get candy for free for no reason.  It rocks.  Halloween Haters be Damned.  :)  I've missed a couple Halloweens because of brain injuries, penury, or the like.  But I usually try, and I usually shovel the candy out: maybe 15 or 20 bags or more.  And I don't buy crap: I buy stuff I like or that seems Halloween-ish.

Didn't do it this year.  Not much traffic at the new house anyway.  And apparently there are a few Halloween Haters in the new 'Hood.  Didn't even make any cocoa.  :(  And have you priced a box of Droste cocoa lately? (You might want Google Translate for that last link.)  Between the US$ going in the toilet, food price increases, the price of oil, and — well, $deity knows why, but it was on sale for $13, IIRC.  Oh, and the penury.  

But snow.  Started where I was between 1:30 and 2 this afternoon.  What an excellent reason.  Winter in general is a good reason, so why not snow?  It's not winter, unless you practice that the cross-quarter days are the beginnings of the seasons instead of their midpoints.  (Ever wondered why A Midsummer Night's Dream takes place on May Day?  There's your answer.)  So some people would say it's winter now.  And it's snowing.  And it's awfully close to the date of latest sunrise, which can seem pretty wintry.  

So — hot chocolate.  Go.  Use whatever you have.  Throw in some marshmallows if you like.  Spike it. (I used hazelnut liqueur this time, which was unexpectedly delicious.  I usually use Vandermint, which is not easily obtainable at the NCABC stores.)  Drink it.  Fall asleep looking at the snow.  The Xmas rush isn't full bore yet.  You deserve it.  :)