In partnership with the Palo Alto Family YMCA, we hosted a Halloween Swap on Saturday, October 17th. The evening started calmly as we (myself, Peter Ruddock, William Mutch, Roy Kornbluh, and my two children) set up tables and put out the few meager costumes we had brought. We laid out our craft table: recycled containers, broken toys, yarn, tape, paper, scissors.

Then the flood of children arrived! They wandered to the cookie decorating table, the make-your-own-skeleton with ear buds booth, and then found us! Pretty dresses and ninja sets, animal costumes, shoes, capes, masks, and more changed hands, some vanishing as quickly as they appeared.

At our craft table, children were cutting, wrapping, contemplating, writing, collaborating, taping, choosing, assembling creations with such ghoulish signs as Death Rattle, Mummy Potion, de-Ogre-ant, Bat and Ghost Poop, Danger:Keep out, Pull here (Look out!) and Do Not Touch or You Will Turn Into a Zombie! We finally had to tell the remaining children it was time to clean up as they taped on the last few items. Smiles all around as they innocently asked, “Can I take this home?”

They would (and parents were reassured their masterpieces were recyclable). We packed up, sure to return to such a resounding success with more creepy craftivism next year.