Happy Halloween from New York City and your stranded friend Jaimee. I’m so glad I decided to start packing light just in time for this trip. (Ugh.) But I am safe, and grateful to be. I’m spending the days  wandering around upper Manhattan with dazed New Yorkers, who are suddenly not in a hurry, and therefore a bit lost. It’s a strange, suspended New York.

Meanwhile, here’s what Halloween looks like at my house in warm, dry Phoenix. I set it all up before my trip, so I could come home to the fun. Sigh.

T inherited these monster gloves from my grandparents’ attic, which he will use at the Halloween party to traumatize my niece for years to come.

Pumpkins on the dining table, all in a row.

I found this bony wrist at Michaels. A perfect spot of spook for the bookshelves.

Glitter-blocking.

I hope you all love Pop Rocks as much as I do. I found the pumpkin variety at Churn, a sweets and ice cream shop near my house.

Spots and studs.

This pumpkin stack will last through Thanksgiving. They’re from Trader Joe’s, my favorite place to find unusual pumpkins in Phoenix.

I put pumpkins anywhere I can: bathroom, kitchen shelves.

Even Bergdorf gets a costume. (That’s his name, chosen by my sister Kapri.)

Wishing you all fun tonight with kids in costumes and roasted pumpkin seeds. And if you need a jack-o-lantern carving idea, may I suggest this: