Running Gag

noun: a joke/gag that is repeated many times in slightly different ways

I don’t know if this is a normal thing for most families, but around here we have a proclivity for running gags. We will have a totally random topic or word or song pop up in our conversations and then for some reason we just keep working it in…over, and over, and over. Ask Nathan about pants. That one’s been rolling around for almost ten years now. Anyway, revisiting the gags usually ends up being funny or at least making Malia roll her eyes so hard that she can see her brain. Earlier this year, the DARE song was the gag. Drugs and that catchy tune from our kids’ 5th grade participation in the DARE program just came up far more frequently than was probably good for us. But it was funny. And so, it kept happening. After a while we aged out of that gag, and something else took its place. 

For some reason, cannibalism has been an on again/off again joke topic throughout this year. I think Malia started it with a random comment in the group chat my kids have established with their cousins on Kevin’s side of the family. But as I’m not actually in that group chat, I’m not certain. Nevertheless, cannibalism is a topic that has popped into our joke/random comment repertoire fairly frequently of late. And that led me to select this year’s Halloween dinner: man-burgers. And while this evening’s repast did not have the visual impact of some I’ve created in previous years, it did hit that running gag. And it was tasty. And simple to prepare. And honestly, I needed that this week.

As for costuming this year, Malia and two of her bestest friends planned a group costume. Malia was Eeyore with her friends dressed up as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Malia sent me a text from school this morning telling me that one of her teachers had the exact same costume as she did. At least she was amused and not utterly humiliated. Because as a middle schooler, it could go either way. This evening, she is off at a friend’s house for a Halloween party, still in costume, of course. 

Nathan hasn’t really dressed up for Halloween for years, but this year he decided that he wanted to join the festivities. He dressed up as Steve from Blues Clues, a kids’ t.v. show that was popular when he was part of the preschool demographic. He was super excited about it and watched an entire episode of Blues Clues to get into character. And then he made a short Blues Clues inspired video for us rather than just sending a picture. With Blue and his handy dandy notebook in hand, he headed off to work and school with some of his notes for one of his jobs written in his notebook. With a giant crayon, of course. 😂 And he turned heads all day. Everyone in his generation is familiar with Blues Clues and even as he was walking back to his apartment this afternoon, he could see heads turn in recognition as the cars drove by. 

Halloween has become a much slower holiday in our entire neighborhood, not just our house. Families have grown up, just like ours, and it seems like there are fewer and fewer kids knocking on the door every year. We still make sure to keep some candy on hand for those that come, but we make sure to buy stuff we like so that it will actually get eaten eventually when the doorbell only rings a dozen times.

As usual, I already have ideas of fun foods I want to create next year. But as for next week, we begin making pies!