Halloween

It’s Halloween! You probably don’t have to guess where my thoughts are today.

I thought about my 2 year-old granddaughter who is just starting to comprehend what Halloween and life are all about. She’s enjoying her third Halloween, but this is the first one in which she will actually be participating. Up until this point, she was lugged around for everyone to see how cute she was. This year, she’ll actually be Trick or Treating. She’s wearing a Bingo costume from her favorite TV show Bluey. She’ll be retrieving her own candy from the houses that will be offering it. She hasn’t really discovered what candy is yet, but it’s sure fun grabbing items and dumping them into her basket. It won’t be long before she discovers how delicious candy is and her focus will shift from retrieving to eating.

In the meantime, my 5 year-old grandson is almost a pro at Halloween by now. This year he will be the superhero Spiderman. He’ll be wearing a Spiderman hood instead of mask so his whole face will be covered. I sure hope they don’t run into too many lads wearing the same costume or there may be a few surprises for parents when they get home. My grandson is no longer interested in being cute; he’s into powerful. He well knows the candy he receives is all about eating. In fact, the security cameras in his house have already picked up a little pajamaed boy sneaking into the pantry and grabbing a piece or two of candy during the middle of the night while the rest of his family slept. He’s enjoying every bit of Halloween because he “gets it”. He understands the premise. Go up to the house, ring the doorbell, yell “Trick or Treat” when someone answers, retrieve the candy and then hurry to the next house and repeat. Something tells me he may become a bit impatient when his sister slows him down this year.

My 16 year-old granddaughter, meanwhile, is caught in the “tween” years. She’s much too old to Trick or Treat, but way too young for bars and parties where adults “act” like kids. She might be getting together with friends to watch scary movies or stay at home and hand out candy to all the Trick or Treaters.

My 21 year-old grandson will get his first taste of Halloween party life as an adult. This may be at a party or bar. The more creative the costume, the more fun it is for those souls. It’s all about the party life. Candy is no longer an incentive; it’s now about “eye-candy”.

My youngest daughter and her husband have been busy rushing my grandkids to Halloween events for the last two weeks. They’ve been to the pumpkin patch, an amusement park, several local gatherings, and their church Halloween event for the kids. They are practically worn out before Halloween even got here. They’ve decorated their house and are looking forward to hearing all the “oohs” and “aahs” about how cute their kids look while Trick or Treating their neighborhood tonight.

My oldest daughter and her husband have also decorated their house, inside and out. Since their kids are grown, there won’t be any costumes to prepare or parties to attend. Instead, they will look forward to handing out “oohs” and “aahs”, and treats, of course, to all the cute kids in their neighborhood, all while keeping one eye on the TV watching their favorite hockey team.

For my wife and I, we’re slowing down a bit this Halloween. My wife will be riding a scooter due to a recent foot surgery and I will be trying to wrangle our dogs as all the kids come to pet them after retrieving their candy. Here in Louisiana, Trick or Treating is a little different than what we had been used to. Everyone sets up a table in the driveway so the kids don’t have to run up to the house and ring the doorbell. It’s a little easier and safer for the kids. It works for us because the dogs won’t be barking and rushing to the door every time the doorbell rings. This way, the dogs get to sit outside with us and get lots of attention from the kids that want to pet them.

I thought about how different Halloween has become. When I was a boy, we would go Trick or Treating with our friends (without adult supervision) and cover several neighborhoods. Safety wasn’t a big concern back then. We’d use a pillowcase instead of a Halloween sack or bucket because who wanted to take the time to stop home and unload before going back out again? We wouldn’t stop until people started turning off their porch lights. Nowadays, kids normally remain in their area and will be accompanied by parents. Safety is no longer assumed or taken for granted. Back in the day, many houses handed out full size candy bars. This year I purchased a couple of bags of assorted candies (at over $22 a bag) and the candy is bite size. Oh, the times have changed.

I also thought about how I would physically prepare for Halloween this year. Early evening is usually my toughest time with Myasthenia Gravis. My pills don’t seem to hold me as well at that time of the night. I’ll try to take a nap during the afternoon so I’m not so tired. I’ll let my wife do most of the talking with the Trick or Treaters because my voice will probably be a little hoarse. Besides, she comes off as the kind old grandmother where I’m probably viewed as the disgusting old man.

If MG plays tricks on me this Halloween, I’ll be prepared. It’s an important night for those kids. The laughter, the fun, the candy, the memories, they’re all a part of growing up. Who knows, maybe one of those kids will write about the good ole’ Trick or Treat days in their blog when they get old. I’m going to try my hardest to make sure the memories they get from our house are good ones.

Happy Halloween! Stay safe! Treats for sure this year!