I’m not a big fan of Halloween. I never was … even as a kid. I never got into it as my five children looked forward to trick or treating. I still keep my porch light off on Halloween night, although I did have to man the candy bucket when my wife was around.
Speaking of candy, that was the only redeeming virtue of the holiday. I may not like the celebration, but I’m not adverse to sharing the spoils.
Of course, Halloween today is very different than when I was growing up. We pretty much stayed in our own neighborhood or were driven to relatives’ homes. We didn’t have to worry about tainted candy. About the worst bounty was fruit {although unwrapped candy or caramel apples were acceptable}. Our costumes were simple {okay, sometimes creative} and almost never overpriced store bought {except for a mask}. Dress up characters included hobos, ghosts,mummies, princesses, witches, pirates, cowboys, soldiers, pumpkins, and animals. As I got older, costumes got scarier — unfriendly ghosts, really scary witches, vampires, superheroes, ghouls — and now we have zombies, serial killers, and gore, many prepackaged just in time for Halloween fright.
I don’t recall too many Halloween parties. Now there are church, service club, and community celebrations aimed at controlling the fun. “Haunted houses” were around, but the level was mild — maybe spider webs and an occasion ghost around a corner and someone suddenly sitting up in a makeshift coffin — compared to today’s focus on fright and enhanced technology.
I didn’t go to too many parties and probably after age 10 or 12 opted to stay home and guard the candy dish rather than go out in the dark, often damp night.
Interestingly enough, I do remember a YMCA Halloween party I attended. I was probably 12 and may have met my wife there. I don’t remember it, but apparently we were both at the downtown party that year. She was a princess — one of about 1,000 princesses {okay, that’s an exaggeration} at the party. She insists she remembers me, primarily because of my unique costume and the fact I planted myself near the refreshment table. I remember my home made costume and, yes, I was the only robot at the party. It consisted of a big foil-wrapped box. My arms, gloves, legs, and shoes were also wrapped in foil and I had a foil-wrapped plastic bowl on my head with eyes, nose and mouth cut out. There were red dyed pipe cleaners affixed to the bowl and colored buttons on my chest.
And there is no truth that I was intentionally stationed at the refreshment table. It just so happens it was the first place I found. Do you know how hard it was for a robot to move 60 years ago?
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Look for something positive in every day, even if some days you have to look a little harder. — Zig Ziglar
The Light 
I loved celebrating Halloween when I was a kid. We used to dress up in costume, and go out trick or treating. I used to be all over the neighborhood, and loaded up on the candy.
Prior to being called Halloween, it was called Samhain (pronounced sow wen). This was the most important holiday of the year for the ancient Celts. Considering I’m of Scots-Irish descent, my ancient ancestors most likely celebrated Samhain. Halloween is still a huge holiday is Scotland and Ireland.
When Ireland was Christianized, the church was uncomfortable with the people celebrating a pagan holiday, and they attempted a sort of compromise. November 1 was named All Saints Day, and the evening of October 31 was named All Hallows’ Eve, with hallow meaning holy. So, Samhain morphed into Halloween eventually.
Halloween wasn’t a big holiday in the United States originally, but when the Scots and Irish immigrated to America, they brought their customs and traditions with them. Halloween eventually grew in popularity, and became a holiday.
Happy Halloween. Trick or treat.
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Happy Halloween
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I always keep my light off, and do not answer the door, never buy candy, etc. in the past 8 years – – between schools, churches, libraries, local organizations & businesses to ‘make Halloween’ safe, I figure, enough candy out there to ensure illness, tooth decay and tummy aches – 🙂
However, this will be the first year, in awhile, that I won’t be dressing up for ‘work’ – which usually entailed dressing up as “Esmerelda, good witch of the Northern Forest” – UNLESS I poked my eye with the eyeliner stuff/got glitter or sprayed my eyes shut with hair spray for wild teased hair and/or burned some part of my hand, neck, head with hot things designed to make hair more teasable – then, I was “Esmerelda, the witch, mess with me, after the morning I’ve had to get ready for work? I will put a hex on you…” – – 😀
But after today, we get to move right into All Souls Day – which is one of my home celebrated holidays – 🙂
Happy All Hallows Eve and All Souls Day – here’s hoping princess and the robot get to dance, in the neutral space between veils, for just a while -OR stand next to the refreshment table. 🙂
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Love the response. Be safe. How’s the weather out there?
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Well – um – – cold – warm enough to melt roof snow so that I have some ready made 3-4 ft daggers (icicles) and about busted my keister going out to help the man-child pull out in car on icy treads from where he pulled in yesterday – at o’dark thirty this a.m. – – BUT – I’m watching how the grass areas are melting sooner than gravel driveway and thinking to myself…”Well….they’ve made steppables plants for walkways – wonder if any have been created for driveways…so I don’t have to shovel away stuff except in front of the doggie door?” – – :D. Ahhh….this season has started to feel like the winters of my child hood, thus far – so feeling #blessed#. :D. Happy All Hallows Eve – Father Says – may our fears of low harvest, unknown patterns in nature and mother nature’s creatures of yore, be banished from our DNA by eons of learning to find the blessings in the everyday – – 🙂
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Amen.
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Very nice bloog you have here
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