Well, Halloween came this year with some surprisingly warm weather. I honestly cannot remember such a warm Halloween. We were at least in the fifties if not the sixties this evening. I can remember past times of me fighting my parents saying that it was not snowing too much to go get tricks or treats. This warmth was quite a shock to me. As I am now a father, several things seem to draw to my attention about the evolution that this holiday of candy, candy, candy has taken.
Is it just me, or are costumes (especially for girls) getting skimpy. Yea I know this makes me sound old, but this is the dilemma that I face in years to come. No little girl should be wearing an outfit that just barely covers her butt and exposes the most of her chest. That is not even to mention the lack of a mid-area in their shirts. It is no wonder that pedophiles exist when we are marketing our children this way.
On a lighter, sadder note. The days of kids walking from house to house to say trick or treat, has passed. Now we have battalions of mini-vans going from one house to the next. Parents using a speculative eye as to whether this person is to be trusted with the giving of candy to their children. All the while the van rocks with the noise of sugar high children screaming at the top of their lungs. A quick glance at the parent shows fatigue beyond their time. Society has definitely changed.
Also it has occurred to me, that kids (in a drone voice) exclaiming “Trick or Treat”, have no idea of the bargain that they are proposing. It is not that hard to figure out, but would some person not be quite surprised to find their house rolled for not giving the proper candy. We have lost touch with it all. This is a tradition that I would have loved to re-kindle in my Halloween days. For now, I am quite happy that this tradition has been lost and not enacted upon my house. I mean, there are still house rollings, but not usually for improper candy dispersion.
One facet of Halloween remains quite strong, however. CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!, and lots of it. Stores dedicate two or more isles to this product of sugar and pure energy that will inevitably force parents to stay up much later than they wanted after a hard night of neighborhood judgment and driving. As for myself, I love the stuff. It is traditional in my family that the father has the responsibility to sample various pieces of candy that look suspect. The lineup at a police station never looked as guilty as the contents of my daughter’s bag. I made good on my obligation, and felt comforted that her candy had been proven safe….BURP.
All in all, this was a good Halloween. We visited family. We trick or treated. My daughter developed a sugar high that if it could be contained, could power a small town. I really wondered if that car seat was going to hold. Now, it is time to get ready for the frantic holiday season that is upon us. It looms in the distance beckoning our wallets and time. For now I will wallow in the candy-filled glory that was Halloween 2008.
She wanted to be a witch, but refused to wear the pointy hat!
The end result of all good Halloween endeavors. My car upholstery may never be the same.
