I love Halloween. It is my second favorite holiday, ranking just behind Christmas. Aside from the chilly weather (my favorite kind), the dark, clear night air with the silvery moon shining down upon dark, empty streets, the warm yellow glow of porch lights casting out into the yard, beckoning those who are alone to find safe harbor from that which creeps and crawls in the night.
I don’t get to go to parties, and I don’t really have the money, nor time, to dress up. Still, I enjoy handing out candy. It’s something I like doing every year. I’ll give candy to you if you’re a kid, an adult, a hobo, doesn’t matter. I like to see people smile. I like to hear “trick or treat” so I can give them a handful of candy (I don’t skimp on candy), so they say “thank you!” to which I reply “you’re welcome! Happy Halloween!”
The niceties make it all the more fun. It’s the only real chance I get throughout the year to really interact with people, even if it’s just for a moment. Sometimes, you get the chance to really see something great. Tonight, I got to see a little boy laugh with excitement when I gave him what apparently was his favorite candy (Nestle Crunches). Of course, in his excitement, as he was running back to his parents he tripped on the sidewalk. I asked if he was okay, and his father explained to me that he had the onset of muscular dystrophy, and that it was getting harder for him to use his legs, and that when he got excited, he would forget, and would trip over himself.
Of course it made my heart twinge. Still, I smiled and told the little fella I loved his costume, and how it scared me because it was so ferocious. He smiled and his father thanked me. I told them all to have a happy Halloween. As they walked away, I silently cheered for the little guy.
A sweet young woman, she couldn’t have been more than 17, came up to me and bashfully said “trick or treat.” I gave her candy, and told her I liked her costume. She was a pirate, and I said pirates were cool. I realize some might think 17 too old to be trick or treating, but I find that to be bullshit. Like I said, if you walk up to me on Beggar’s Night, child, adult, hobo, you’re getting candy. Of course, I’m probably going to have to find some kind of alternate for people who can’t have candy. I’ll work on that for next year.
We didn’t get many trick or treaters, unfortunately, and ended up with the fewest we’ve ever had, at a grand total of 15. Well, I mean, it’s fine, because most of the kids and adults went to the local church “trunk or treat” events. It’s just, I remember when I was a kid, and I went trick or treating (I was the cheap detective almost every year), the streets were full of kids, all of us going from house to house, putting on our best smiles and begging for candy. It occupies a very warm space in my heart, but I understand that things change.
Anyway, so here I am now, typing up this post, and just thinking about fond memories of when I was a child going door to door, parents less than a dozen steps away, and asking the very nice strangers to contribute to my future dental bills. As I do so, I am chewing on a few Milk Duds, which have long since lost the flavor they had when I was a kid. Maybe it has to be a part of the experience to taste all of the sweetness that used to be. Maybe the memories are just far sweeter than any candy could ever possibly hope to be.
Happy Halloween, my friends.