You know what’s the funniest thing to me about Halloween in Fairbanks, Alaska? People who have never been or only see the snow and temperatures from what we show think that, surely, we don’t go trick-or-treating outside in the Arctic. Well, they’d be wrong about that. Halloween here is very much like Halloween everywhere else we’ve lived in the Lower 48…except we layer (a lot) before we head out. And so, we celebrated our last Halloween in Fairbanks, Alaska and soaked up this little neighborhood with all we had.

Our Last Halloween in Fairbanks, Alaska

Last year for Halloween, it was a balmy 29F outside and, though chilly, we weren’t overly surprised by the temperatures or the Halloween vibe throughout Fort Wainwright. This year, it actually wasn’t all that much colder. It snowed gently most of the afternoon, but that usually means it’s actually warm enough to snow. And it was.

It was 24F when the kids and I headed out with their friends to trick-or-treat, and they got to wear their carefully-chosen Halloween costumes with a few extra layers underneath. So, despite the added mittens and beanies, for the most part, Halloween was as it always is – fun, silly, and a time to dress up as your favorite character.

Halloween on Fort Wainwright

I sometimes feel like Fort Wainwright is a little island in the sea of Army posts around the world. Fairbanks, as a whole, is remote. Fort Wainwright, as an Army post is equally remote – albeit not nearly as remote as posts like Fort Greely out in Delta Junction. Nevertheless, Fort Wainwright (and Halloween on Fort Wainwright) can be easily to look and feel foreign because it’s just so different.

And yet – it’s also not. It’s dark by the time we head out at 6 PM, so the kiddos wear headlamps, and the police on post come by to pass out glowsticks to illuminate them as they begin their candy crawl. They have base layers, and hoodies, and sweats, foot warmers, hand warmers, and mittens – and everything else that comes with being bundled up. The fire trucks make their way throughout the neighborhoods further distributing candy. For all intents and purposes, Halloween is more familiar here than it was at Camp Humphreys.

The Months Keep Ticking By

And so, we wrapped up another month of our time here at Fort Wainwright. Since sharing a few months ago that it’s official – we’re moving next summer – everything has more of an expiration date. It’s always a transient place to be. You’re in the midst of all the normalcy, but there’s change on the horizon again, and you start growing more eager for that change.

Whatever comes next, our own little Ron Weasley (Spencer), fish taco (Porter), and Anna (Mieke) absolutely loved trick-or-treating here in FBX and on Fort Wainwright with their friends, yet again. Any guesses where we’ll be celebrating next year?