Halloween is coming up very soon.
Where I grew up, you had about 10 steps between houses and the streets were littered with kids just jonesing for that next candy hit. Pillowcases, plastic pumpkins, and pails overflowing with sweets. We dressed up as everything from Army men to Ninja Turtles and princesses to witches and glow sticks were all the rage. You pretty much knew everyone on the street and so most people weren’t too afraid to let their kids run rampant. At the end of the night, everyone ran home to evaluate their haul. Moms and dads sorted through to make sure that everything was safe (remember the fear of razor blades?) and grabbed a few of the best things for themselves. You quickly tossed away the healthy stuff, got a few pieces of candy before bedtime, and then went to sleep with sweet dreams of how set you were with treats for a while.
Things haven’t changed too much, have they? The kids are still after that sweet, sweet nectar. The buckets are a little different, but are still overflowing at the end of the night. The inventiveness of kid’s costumes has never been greater (though, I still love seeing the classics), and mom and dad still nab the best candy. Where we live now, though, the houses are pretty spread out. With the way the world is nowadays, I’m not sure how much I trust the kids being out on their own anyhow. Trick or treating just seems a little different.
That’s why we love the safe events that seem to be available in most communities. For a number of years, our church has hosted Trick-or-Trunk, a event open to the community. Basically, cars pull in early, get all decorated up, and have candy ready to go! Once everyone is ready and enough people have shown up, the coordinators will open it up. It can get a little hectic, but most of the kids are very polite, everyone waits their turn, and I know that my kids are in a safe place. It’s a great way to connect with friends and neighbors and to keep in touch with people in the community that you might not run into on a weekly basis. Most of all, it’s great fun!!
How do you celebrate Halloween? Do you trick-or-treat or do you trick-or-trunk? Leave us a comment and let us know!
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