That familiar line describes our 2021 Halloween party experience well, but it isn’t the whole story. Here’s the rest.

Jason and I thought COVID concerns would be a thing of the past by our 2021 Halloween event. We were incorrect. 2021’s summer and fall brought new variants and fresh waves of uncertainty. Since the virus’ fall plans were still up in the air and out in the air, we decided a yard party was the only way to guarantee accommodating varying comfort levels and not spreading COVID faster than gossip on TMZ.

Doing our shindig outdoors posed some unclear challenges. Namely, we’d never done an all-alfresco Halloween party at our house before, and it was hard to anticipate the extra nuances that might entail for an already-complicated function. Also, October weather is unpredictable. Would the conditions be reminiscent of a tropical island, glacial tundra, or perhaps a dark and stormy night? (Don’t think too hard about that one.)

The theme we had already decided on for the year didn’t work well outdoors, so we had to scratch it, but an appropriate motif presented itself in a roundabout way. I thought a backyard movie could be a great way to entertain the kiddos. The film would need to be appropriate for all ages and at least loosely tied to Halloween. Preferably, it would also link to the year’s theme. And the winner? Coco. With that, Dia de los Muertos became our focus. Yes, I am aware that Halloween and Dia de los Muertos are not the same holiday. They do have some common origins though, which is something I learned from my investigation into the subject.

That brings me to research, one of my favorite things. I did in-depth research on Dia de los Muertos. It was important to Jason and me that our spotlight on this celebration be about cultural appreciation not appropriation. I created a quiz to educate attendees on some of the origins and practices of Dia de los Muertos with prizes offered for the top scorers. Jason and I ordered party favors and decorations directly from central Mexico to put money back into the communities where the holiday originated. Food at our bash was provided by members of the Hispanic community through Super Taqueria and Panaderia Flores. I hope our efforts would make those of Mexican heritage comfortable sharing their holiday traditions.

That takes us from the determined theme to the undetermined weather. Rain was forecasted for the day of our party. We prepared for this possibility by putting up canopies throughout our backyard and a couple in the front. Additionally, we set out buckets filled with umbrellas ready for use. The showers did come but miraculously stopped an hour or two before our revelries commenced. The rain didn’t pick up again until just before the last of the guests had left. It was a stress-inducing mix of bad and good timing.

In the tumultuous weather, attendees were warmed through several methods. Moods were thawed by the cheerful banners and twinkling orange lights that counterpoised the broody humor of the windy evening. Innards were kept cozy with abundant hot chocolate and tea provided by a massive hot-water dispenser purchased just for this shindig. We went through 25 bags of tea alone; I lost count with the hot chocolate. External surfaces benefited from snugly blankets, which were available in bulk to movie watchers. We also had six propane heaters, a propane-fueled fireplace, and two infrared heaters all pumping out comfort at various locations throughout our yard. The infrared heaters paired with all the outdoor lighting overloaded our exterior circuits, and Jason had to rewire everything the day of the party, which was not an easy or quick task. That rewiring required our windows to emit strings of extension cords.

As we didn’t think our yard could accommodate our gathering’s usual 100 guests, we tried to keep the invitee list smaller this year. We ended up with about 60 attendees, which was perfect. It was enough to make our efforts feel worthwhile but not so much as to make our yard feel like an overpacked coffin.

So, while it was a stormy night, it wasn’t exactly dark. Radiant fireplaces, glittering lights, frenzied children, colorful crafts and games, flamboyant costumes, rowdy adults, toothsome cuisine, and thawing liquids all filled the gloom with vibrancy and geniality. We made the most of the turbulent evening offered us to welcome both partygoers and the dead.