Today was Halloween and yesterday I looked around for some potential costumes. I was already too late.

I’ve mentioned before how the Japanese recognize Halloween but don’t really celebrate it. In the school where I work, a handful of us decided to go in costume to just to do something different and because one of your high school projects has the students developing their own cartoon supervillains.

Because it’s a Christian school, I decided to go as the devil and went to find a pair of devil’s horns. I started at a 100 yen shop and was surprised to find only a few decorations and little else. I couldn’t even find any masks. As a back up, I bought a toy pistol and planned to go as a police officer or a soldier.

Note: The video club at the school often run around with toy guns–I’ve even had to tell the boys 1) to never point them at me again and 2) proper stance–so I wasn’t worried about anyone freaking out.

In the end, I remembered that many years ago She Who Must Be Obeyed made a pair of devil’s horns for our youngest for Halloween. Because we still had them she lent them to me and I’m now the second generation of Lively’s to wear the devil’s horns. (Which is not necessarily a good thing, now that I think about it, and traditions are supposed to go down generations not up them. Oh, and father’s aren’t supposed to wear their toddler daughter’s clothes.)

The horns looked good on me (once again, that’s not necessarily a good thing) and I matched them with a red shirt and black slacks. My official story, when I got comments from teachers, was that on Halloween I reverted to my true form and if they were interested in being really rich or living forever or being famous blues musicians, I just happened to have a little contract they could sign.

The school priest had a great laugh and I regret not posing with him for a photo. (I also thought about going over the chapel and pretending I was blocked from going inside.)

Then, I got double use out of the horns for our annual, and now rather small, neighborhood trick-or-treat rounds. I met the kids at the door with the horns on my head and flashlight under my face.

Now I get to enjoy the leftover candy (you can have some, too. Just sign the little contract I send you…)