This is the first Halloween in years—decades, actually—for which...

This is the first Halloween in years—decades, actually—for which I don’t have a costume.

Typically, I plan the following year’s costume while wading through a candy hangover on Nov. 1. And I had a great one planned for this year: The Winter Soldier. Not kidding, it’s the whole reason I’ve been growing out my hair for the past year. Alas, I just didn’t have the time to get it together. Bills, work, side projects, kids’ parties, book promotion, errands, homework—life, as they say, got in the way. Bucky understands.

In addition, I usually plan a horror double-feature for me and my wife because Halloween is the only time of year she’ll agree to watch scary movies with me. Yet, I don’t have a single flick picked out. Nothing. I know there’s plenty to choose from, but I usually do a lot of research for the picks to make sure I don’t drive my wife from the room. Seriously, the parameters within which I have to work are pretty narrow. No slashers, no gore, no torture, no Nicolas Cage. Though she’s perfectly okay with possession movies… perhaps I should be concerned about that.

But, here’s the thing. Today is dress-up day at the boys’ school. They’re both sticking with the outfits they picked for the recent costume party. Wyatt is going as a Jedi and he looks totally badass. Seriously, he’s even got the hair of a young Luke. And using a bunch of old costumes, we cobbled together a pretty rad Darth Vader outfit for Boone using a Snake Eyes suit and a Batman cape. I even got all crafty and made a chest plate for him that actually lights up. They both look fucking awesome.

So, I don’t get to dress up. But, my boys do and they love their costumes. Because of that, I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all.

In fact right now, I guess you could say I’m dressed as a father. And I don’t ever have to take that costume off.