Halloween in Oud Zuid

Halloween isn’t an official thing in the Netherlands but there a lot of Americans in Amsterdam. The American Women’s Club partnered with another organization to host a Halloween Night in our neighborhood, Oud Zuid, for trick or treating. Families could sign up to volunteer to be a part of the trick or treating route (a map was distributed to anyone who signed up). There was also a little Halloween Village geared towards the little kids and we volunteered to help with that.

It turned out so great – there were decorations and games and crafts and even a little disco party. I set up a game where kids had to toss a bean bag into a jack o lantern’s mouth and then they got to choose a little prize. James Wilson and James came to help, too, so we had such a fun family night together. So many kids came and they were all so cute, especially the Dutch kids who dressed up (they put so much effort into their costumes!) and they were so excited about everything.

James Wilson had been on the fence about what he wanted to do — he felt like maybe he was too old to trick or treat, but he didn’t want to miss out on Halloween entirely, so it worked out great that he was able to help with the game. He was so good with the kids, helping them choose their prizes and encouraging the shy ones to come over and give it a try. The kids mostly all loved his costume, although some of the really little ones didn’t quite know what to think of it and just stood there staring.

It was so fun to share a little bit of our American culture with our Dutch neighbors. Such a great night!