Halloween fun--then, now, and now again

When I was growing up, Halloween was a time we looked forward to for weeks ahead. Our neighborhood was absolutely the best place to be. Several neighbors could be counted on year after year to stage haunted houses in their garages or side yards. There were plenty of kids around--both my age and my brother's--with whom to plan costumes and make the rounds together. We didn't rush home right afterward just to eat candy or shed layers of hot, ill-fitting disguises. Witches and mummies and gypsies and ballerinas and cats and vampires and monsters would hang around each other's houses and yards for hours, laughing, joking, and trying to scare each other. It was fun we weren't quick to outgrow, either. It went on all the way through high school.

Halloween isn't quite the same affair here. Or maybe it's a matter of "now" rather than "here," I don't know. Most of the local cities ban anyone over 12 years old from wearing masks or trick or treating. Most local cities also have an 8:00 curfew on Halloween night, even in years when it lands on a Friday or Saturday. And when it lands on Sunday, you might as well cancel altogether. Many places keep Sunday sacred by moving the festivities to the night before. That plan is chaotic and unpredictable, though, because not everyone follows it. It becomes a party raggedly divided into two nights, not much fun for anyone. To top it all off, the kids seem to miss what was, to us, the point of it all: the play-acting, the make-believe fright. Trick or treaters, if they show up at our door at all, often don't bother with a costume. They only come for the candy.

For the first few years we were here, there weren't many kids in our neighborhood. And those that were only ventured toward the center of the subdivision on Halloween night. Rarely did anyone move down our road, which is in the outermost ring of houses. That first year here, I found the lack of Halloween activity truly shocking. There were only four kids all evening.

Is there a such thing as a Halloween grinch? If so, that's what I was becoming. Every year, I would enthusiastically carve and light a Jack-o-Lantern, put on my costume, and wait near the door with candy at the ready. And so often, the doorbell would ring only twice the whole night. Then one year, it rang not at all until nearly 8:00--remember, that's Halloween's "last call" here. I opened the door and found a kid about ten years old, dressed in jeans and T-shirt. He stared at me blankly.

 "Yes?" I said, expecting to hear "Trick or treat!"

But no...he continued to stare back at me silently before finally stammering, "Uhhh, got any candy?"

I do confess, I just about lost it. I told the kid I only gave candy to costumed children who say "Trick or treat." He tried: Five minutes later he was back in a basketball jersey and introduced himself as "Shaq," then said the magic words. I relinquished the candy bar, turned out my porch light, and sat down to salve my disappointment with the rest of the bowl of candy.

('Course, there was another year when only one person showed up. It was a very tall, especially creepy Grim Reaper. When no one else came after him, I turned off the porch light, checked my pulse, and went to bed. Why take chances?)

But this year, I was DETERMINED Halloween must be a good time again now that Boy 1 was old enough to start to "get" it.

There was preparation, to be sure. We started building it up a couple weeks ago. T dug out all the kids' books with Halloween themes and encouraged Boy 1 to choose them. T brought home one of those Jack-o-lantern-shaped treat buckets for Boy 1 to carry around his cars, blocks, and other treasures. I started talking about dressing up like (who else?) Elmo and sewed him a costume. When we bought our pumpkin during grocery shopping, we talked about making a Jack-o-lantern and putting a light in it.

Last night, we had trick or treat practice. We couldn't convince Boy 1 to put on his costume, but he finally allowed the hat portion. T coached him with what to do and say while I answered the door (our laundry room) and gave Boy 1 candy two or three times. Then T put on the "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" movie.

Today we were going to participate in the Halloween activities at the wildlife preserver, but that didn't go quite as planned. Boy 2 seems to be teething and is not his usual happy self the last few days, and Boy 1, as he so often does, didn't sleep well again last night. When it came time to get dressed, Boy 2 was amenable but Boy 1 absolutely would not consider putting on his costume and started getting whiny. So we took our time getting there. We missed the pumpkin painting and kids' parade, and Boy 1 wasn't interested in the hayride. We just did the nature trail (which, as Park Ranger Boy 2 discovered, was decorated with giant creepy creatures) instead.

And finally we attempted trick or treating tonight. I was excited when Boy 1 finally consented to putting on his costume, and I shuffled him out the door earlier than really practical. It was still pretty light out, and very slow initially, but after the first half hour (yes, it was a LONG walk), Boy 1 warmed up to it. He managed to unwrap a lollipop and start crunching and getting sticky before we'd even noticed he had it out of the bucket, which of course made him very happy. Boy 2 was still not really himself, but he seemed content enough to sit in the stroller, see all the sights, and make little "mmms" and "ohs" once in a while.

Did we go to ridiculous lengths? Well, yeah. And it was a long day for the little people...and the big ones, too. But it seems to have worked out in the main. No, enjoying Halloween again isn't a good reason to have kids. But I will say that with them here, it's sure a lot more fun to try.