This morning my dog Cornell and I went for our morning walk. We felt the sun shining bright and a chill in the air. We, or at least I could see dewdrops on the grass as the leaves were slowly falling from the trees. My sweet photography friend has taught me to appreciate lighting, so I did just that!
As you would imagine our walk lasted much longer than anticipated, which gave me time to be, to think, to see and to ponder. I just loved seeing my breath in the air, the rustle of leaves under foot, the acorns and pinecones that littered the ground and oh--the smell of a fireplace! I also happened to notice that many of my neighbors have the same affinity for dolling up their homes for Halloween like me--kind of. There were cornstalks around posts and columns, the obligatory pumpkin piles at doorways and the blooming mums and scarecrows beside mailboxes. BUT some neighbors have taken it to a completely new level with crafted graveyards on their front lawns. Not only are there so many varieties of pumpkins but the carved ones look like they should be on display in a museum rather than on a doorstep. When did Halloween become such an elaborate decorating holiday?
Was I poor as a child? Did my parents hate Halloween? Or is this can-you-top-this love affair with Halloween a new phenomenon, because we did none of this Halloween fussing. In our house decorating meant caveman-esque carvings in ONE pumpkin illuminated with a waxy candle for the doorstep--and THAT WAS IT! We ran through the neighborhood filling our pillowcase to the top with candy from neighbors and strangers. Our costumes were two parts--a hard plastic mask with elastic bands that so tightly secured to our face that it was not only a sweat trap but ironically made it very difficult to breathe from those teeny tiny nose holes.The costume portion was made from icky fabric that tied around the back that probably was flammable come to think of it. There were no glow sticks to light our way or parents protecting us, just these three rules…
ONLY GO TO HOMES WITH THE LIGHT ON
SAY THANK YOU
DO NOT EAT THE APPLES
These days, or should I say nights, every child that rings our bell usually has an entourage. It includes a parent or two in tow, a visiting grandma as well as a costumed dog. These children are lit from head to toe … making it look like the Disney Parade on Main Street. Treats get dropped into decked out personalized buckets as pillowcases have been relegated back to the bed. Oh and these costumes, it’s like having a Pinterest runway leading right to my front door. So, since it is such an extravaganza I follow suit. Of course I have the stash of candy for the kids; but now I have added a pet treat bucket as well! But what I seem to be most appreciated for is my adult beverage bucket! It is filled with water, cider and beer. I figure if you are relegated to traipsing around the neighborhood with your superhero, you should have the option of a trick or treat yourself!
So this Halloween I will no longer go through the stash of candy under the guise of throwing out skeptically wrapped items, fruit or popcorn balls. There will be no candy trading of Butterfingers for Skittles in my kitchen. But worst of all, there will be no bags of candy for me to raid while they sleep off their sugar coma!!! I suppose a part of me should be grateful, but you know me--there is that bit of sadness for what was and what is. Now our children celebrate Halloween away at college, as it should be. And I am pretty sure they are trick-or-treating from the adult beverage bucket more than the candy one anyway, so there’s that!
Moral: If people are going to remember you, make if be for a darn nice reason!
be safe trick-or-treaters,
A little Halloween thing I might still do: We first experienced “The Boo” back during our Michigan State life. Someone left a SAFE mysterious bag filled with goodies, treats on our front porch along with the poem below. There is still plenty of time for you to “haunt” your friends and neighbors! BOO!
