This Halloween, the coolest house on the block was the Obamas’ place

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Each Halloween, there is that one house in the neighborhood.

You know the one -- the best decorations, the best party, handing out the best candy. And for 2,600 or so kids this year, that house was the White House, which was even bathed in orange light for the occasion.

Face painting, a brass band, bubbles, pumpkins and more greeted children invited from 11 area schools. Michelle Obama, first lady and fashion plate, was decked out as a leopard, and Barack Obama, president of the United States, surprised guests with his president-of-the-United-States-in-a-sweater-on-Halloween costume.

But enough about the grown-ups -- what was in the treat bags??

Kids got White House M&Ms, an orange sugar cookie in the shape of the residence, and clumps of desiccated apricots, apples and papayas, the Washington Post reports.

‘Desiccated’ is another word for ‘dried.’

I suppose that’s technically better than a box of raisins, or a few pennies.

Technically.

The Post has a fun photo gallery with its story about the party.

Our final mystery: One dad, shown below with his son, came dressed as Darth Vader. Who was this masked man?

His identity is revealed after the jump ...

And the mystery man was -- press secretary Robert Gibbs, who brought his son, Ethan.

Not your garden variety celeb, we know, but he does get a lot of time on television, right? Close enough for Halloween.

On Monday, somebody should ask him how he got that light saber into the White House.

Click here for ghosts of White House Halloweens past ...

Hope your night was a blast!

-- Christie D’Zurilla

Photo credits: Jewel Samad / AFP / Getty Images, top; Kristoffer Tripplaar / Getty Images, middle and bottom.