Cultures clash when holidays roll around. Which road do I follow: the autumn brick road to the land of tricks and treats or the dance to the Day of the Dead? Halloween is a "holiday light" here in Costa Rica. It’s not really celebrated and many think the brash knocking on doors and demanding candy is not exactly mores they want their children to pick up.

Granted that feeling may be a little out of context. I mean there is a rich history behind ghosts, gobblins, witches, pirates, and Tiggers all preparing to prance the streets of the USA with hollow pumpkins waiting to be filled.

My daughter got a taste of a traditional Halloween "up-there" a few years ago and she could easily become dismayed at her mother’s lame attempts to replicate any sense of the spirit. So, I usually end up mixing the two. It took a while for me to get used to Christmas with palm trees, but I usually find this middle road and if I put a bit of effort into just the right spots, the kids are happy, in fact, gosh-darned enthusiastic.

We bought a pumpkin; carved it. Coco made kitty ears. I made a tail out of left over washer hose - eye brow pencil for whiskers. A small bag of candy, figure out whiskers for the two year old and…..ta da! Halloween. Even after I made a backwards ladybug (red spots on black instead of visa versa..) we always manage to find fun. And if all else fails, I’ve just learned I can get a blow-up Samari wrestler outfit complete with fan to inflate in case I fall flat on my face.