Trick or Treat!

Now for a pumpkin-carving, spooky edition of…

Here’s to You!!!

So I raise my glass (or perhaps a Reese’s Cup!) and say, “Here’s to you, trick-or-treating!”

Happy Halloween!

As I write this, I’m sitting at my front door with my laptop, periodically getting up to pass out candy to lots of adorable neighborhood children in adorable costumes! Yay!

I have to say, I’m happy that the rise in helicopter parenting and stranger danger hasn’t totally demolished trick-or-treating, although those have certainly taken some massive blows to it, varying depending on location. When I was living at my grandmother’s house a few years ago, there weren’t very many kids around on Halloween, which was disappointing. But now that I’m in a different neighborhood, there are a bunch!

Yet I get people I know getting apathetic about it, who… ugh… don’t give out any candy and just leave the lights off that night. See, I could never do that. How could I not participate in trick-or-treating? I remember trick-or-treating myself, occasionally having to pass by the darkened doorsteps of my boring neighbors who seemed to be going “bah humbug!” to the whole thing. Makes no sense.

It’s great! Sitting all evening with a bowl of candy I’m totally taking from now and then. The kids come up, dressed up in costumes they put some amount of effort in, all smiles, and I give them some candy and they smile even bigger and say “thanks!” Awww! 😀

I sometimes wonder if this contributes to the objectification of children. I guess, the idea does seem to be “aww, you’re so cute! here’s a treat!” But I suppose that’s more a side thing, while there is good in the social aspect of visiting neighbors under happy terms, walking around the neighborhood on a lovely autumn evening (seriously, in my entire life, I think it has rained on Halloween only once or twice!). And it is an evening when, despite the occasional presence of parents to make sure Pedobear doesn’t attack, the kids themselves truly run the show. Therefore, we must keep up trick-or-treating, not grow apathetic, and keep Halloween and all the good clean fun it carries with it alive!

And to not ruin it by trying to make it more adult.

Although, for your information, absolutely none of the little girls I’ve seen out tonight, or on any Halloween, despite what the news says, have been dressed like prostitutes! 🙄