Whoever thinks that Halloween is just for kids is mistaken. While I confess that I went through those awkward teen years where I outwardly pretended to be too "cool" for Halloween, inwardly I wished that I could be right beside Cinderella and Gumby, racing from house to house to fill my bag with the most candy.
Fortunately, motherhood has resurrected this ghoulish holiday. Once again, it's socially acceptable to squeal over costumes and sift past the dum-dums for the real goodies with each Trick-or-Treat. (I know most 10 month olds don't crave Nestle Signature Caramels, but mine's precocious.) Our family has had a blast getting into the spirit of Halloween this season as we've picked pumpkins, stuffed scarecrows, and feasted on Blue Brain Jello. Jason is sporting a box of Raisin Bran with a knife hanging out of it--what a serial killer! I am a black-eyed "P", and our more traditional Brooklyn periodically morphs between the most adorable duck, ladybug, and cow you've ever seen.
Despite our preparations, I suppose the final trick is on us. When I woke up this morning and saw the gorgeous weather, I thought that tonight's adventure would be quite a treat. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had the last word, because now it's wet, rainy, and cold. Unless you're a bathtub, trick or treating's just not much fun in the damp drizzle. Even worse, it's already pitch black outside at 4:53 pm, thanks to daylight savings. I guess the black goes with the Halloween theme, but coming home from work each night in the dark has me feeling blue.
Perhaps Halloween is simply cursed. I'm reminded of the time we had a huge blizzard on Halloween. Not only were all of the school parades canceled, but the mayor cancelled Halloween all together! The nerve. Talk about making yourself unpopular with those under the age of twelve. I guarantee you he would never have dared if we had had the power to vote. Or then there was the time we moved to Chicago on Halloween, only to discover that they had celebrated the day before. Oh, the horror! But rain or shine, trick or treat, I'll always love the day just as much as I did as a child.
3 comments:
Kara, this is really fun. Thanks for a well-written mommy blog.
Kara,
Ok, Ok, I guess I'll repent and again begin enjoying "get something for nothing" Halloween evenings again. Boo! Humbooger! Just think of what you are teaching my grand daughter: If you dress up like an insect or an animal and go uninvited to many doors of strangers they will give you candy for no work or reason whatsoever. What kind of safety message are you teaching? If people in Plato's day had experienced Halloween, there would have been another dialogue... Since there was not, this is the beginning of a very poor substitute. If Moses had anticipated Halloween, there would have been an 11th commandment. You go ahead and fill in the blank after "Thou shalt ______." Keep smiling!
Kara, I got to read you Halloween Blues. You have an adorable little daughter, as your mother told me she would be. Imagine it was hard to see you all leave in August. She is a cutie. Rich Servis, now in Wichita, Kansas
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