Trick or Treat by Bea Tifton

Yesterday at the grocery store I pondered that oh, so important question, What Halloween candy will we buy? We really don’t need to buy any, because we don’t have any trick or treaters. I don’t think many kids even go door to door now. When I was a kid we did. We planned our costumes carefully and greeted the holiday with anticipation and excitement. We would go door to door. If we knew the people, we were allowed to take cookies or the ultimate fun Halloween homemade treat, popcorn balls. Word quickly traveled when one house had particularly good candy. Some people I knew piled into a parent’s car and drove to the wealthy parts of town, but to my friends and I that was cheating. It was a neighborhood thing. We would go door to door, escorted by our parents when we were very small, then allowed to go on our own. When we got tired, we would come home and gorge ourselves. Mom and Dad would pick through our haul to get their favorites as well.  After a few years people began to circulate rumors of razor blades or candy poisoning, and while we still got to trick or treat, Dad would buy our candy from us. It wasn’t quite the same but as an adult I understand. (Hey, at least we got money to replace the candy if we wanted.) 

Now I see elaborate Halloween yard decorations, but I think most kids go to Trunk or Treat celebrations instead of going door to door. I think those are nice but not the same as the neighborhood celebrations. It’s a little sad. Today’s kids don’t know what they’re missing, but I do. And my father really misses opening the door on Halloween. He loved the little ones the best because they just looked so cute in their costumes and the proud parents would be hovering nearby.

We have a new routine where we buy some candy “just in case” and order pizza for Halloween. We watch the original “Ghostbusters” and “Practical Magic” and snack. I enjoy it. Last year I had choir rehearsal on Halloween night and we did the pizza thing the day before, but it wasn’t the same. This year, the way is clear for pizza and candy on Halloween night. I may even put a Halloween shirt on the dog.

 

Do you have trick or treaters? Do your kids do something for Halloween?

  

Photo Credits:Pexels.com
Terrance Barksdale "Pile of Halloween Sweets"
Yuting Gao "Group of Children in Halloween Costumes"
Charles Parker "Little Girls in Halloween Costumes Standing on Stairs"
Sam Lion "Small Dog Sitting in Light Studio"
Kaboompics.com "A Room with Halloween Decorations"