Halloween.
That one night of the year when you can let your true self take centerstage, whether it be a blood-dripping, fanged lothario creature of the night complete with a cool cape or a Pretty in pink sparkly fairy princess complete with a cool tiarra.
But while some things remain the same, like the thrill of "transformation" and the joy of a handful of the "Good Candy" from your kindly next door neighbor, some things have definitely changed. When I was a kid, oh so long ago, Trick-or-treating was a door to door adventure! My friends and I would map out which route was the best in our quest for maximizing our confection foraging, remembering from years past which houses had Hershey's and M&M's and which ones had the dreaded cheap lollipops. Of course much of the fun was in the unknown. The surprise of what would be dropped into our sacks and the anticipation of how our older brothers would try once again to scare the bejeebers out of us.
And then there were the tricks... That one night a year when harmless pranks were not only overlooked , they were expected. The night when no yard jockey or ornamental Gnome was safe. Wise homeowners gathered their fake deer and flamingos within the protected walls of their garages knowing that anything could happen when the adolescent goblins were on a Sweet Tart high. Eggs and toilet paper mysteriously disappeared from our homes, only to astonishingly reappear in the yards of our grouchy, less-lovable neighbors. "Who could do such a thing?" our moms clucked the next day. Juvenile delinquents from bad neighborhoods we "guessed", our halos secured firmly back in place.
Spooky thrills, suburban mayhem and sugary gorging fests... Ah, those were the days.
But things have changed. While some people still hand out candy the "old-fashioned" way, most people aren't even home. More and more communities and neighborhoods have Halloween carnivals with games and rides, face painting and popcorn. Structured family fun with little or no candy. As a parent, I can appreciate the fact that this is much safer for the children. But as a large kid, I miss the adventure, the surprises, the thrills.
And while my kids enjoy trick or treating at a few familiar houses after pushing through the crowds at the carnival, they aren't really interested in eating the candy. THIS I don't understand! My favorite part of the whole Halloween experience was going home at the end of the night and pouring out my entire haul and gazing upon what I had got, sorting the good candy from the crappy candy. It was the Best!
Everything changes. The important thing is that the kids have fun, are safe, and stay out of trouble. I guess I don't really want them doing some of the things that I did. Heck... I don't even want them to know about some of the things that I did.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go change into my Halloween costume. I'm going as a middle-age, gray-haired, out-of-shape Dad. Life is scary enough without embellishments.