Halloween
Things have changed a great deal about this special night since I was a child. The biggest change? We were allowed to go out by ourselves and shockingly EAT the candy long before we got home. I don't even think that my brother and I had "real" costumes most of the time. I think we went as ourselves - the mission - get candy.
When we lived in Kansas my mother made us king and queen outfits out of royal purple crepe paper (do they even make that anymore?). It rained that night and we returned home - wet and purple. Not the best costume in bad weather.
Another time in France we went out as hobos and had our cigars filled with probably baby powder or an equivalent. In the military compound we lived in every house had a mail slot in their front door (remember those?). So if we didn't get candy then we could "puff" the powder through the slot. Messy maybe but a whole lot better than eggs tossed on to a vehicle or house I can assure you.
By the time I had children, things had changed considerably and one parent went out while the other stayed home. When the two youngest boys were quite small and we still lived in California, my sister and I would pull them along in a wagon to prevent cries of "I'm too tired". Because while they were tired, their older brother in comparison, definitely was not. By the end of the evening the wagon not only held two little guys but most of their costumes as well.
Another change sadly is that my children and all that followed them were not allowed to eat candy until they got home. In the 70's the first scare was razor blades in Pixie Sticks and/or inside apples. When we would get home and put the "loot" out on the table, the first thing that went in the trash was the sticks and any homemade treats. We were not trusting even back then and nothing has changed over the years.
Tonight, because of the weather, there may not be as many goblins at the front door as usual. I have bought candy (the good kind Scott assures me) for any children that show up. How does he know that the candy I bought is good? Because half the bag of variety Snickers is gone! Just helping me out he tells me.
My deepest regret is that children of today and tomorrow will never enjoy the freedom we had and took for granted back in the 50's and 60's. It was a fun time to be a kid and I'm sorry that things changed for the generations that followed us and not necessarily for the better. When I was a kid we were fearless and so were our parents who allowed us more freedom than you'll see today.
I'll load up my bowl of candy (perhaps minus the Snickers that Scott loves so much) and wait for the doorbell tonight. And tomorrow most, if not all, the leftover candy will be taken to the office and put out for community eating. Of course everybody else does the same thing so we literally eat candy for weeks on end. And, just like when we were kids - the good stuff goes first. Eventually, the bowl only holds the less desirable stuff which takes a long time to disappear!
Trick or Treat everyone.
P
Not to fear, Ben loved every second of Halloween! He had more energy then both his parents combined. He ate candy along the way. We checked it but we really are not sure what to look for. We noticed that now instead of leaving one parent at home to pass out candy both parents leave with the kids. Which means they no longer have to hand out candy. Or they are going to recycle the candy once they get back home. Another new trend is having the parents follow behind their child in the comfort of their car. This was the biggest danger Ben faced tonight. The parents in their cars created a traffic jam which the children had to walk through to get to the various houses. All in all, it was a wonderful evening. Happy Halloween!
ReplyDeleteNot to fear, Ben loved every second of Halloween! He had more energy then both his parents combined. He ate candy along the way. We checked it but we really are not sure what to look for. We noticed that now instead of leaving one parent at home to pass out candy both parents leave with the kids. Which means they no longer have to hand out candy. Or they are going to recycle the candy once they get back home. Another new trend is having the parents follow behind their child in the comfort of their car. This was the biggest danger Ben faced tonight. The parents in their cars created a traffic jam which the children had to walk through to get to the various houses. All in all, it was a wonderful evening. Happy Halloween!
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