Halloween in the good old days

So I am sitting here, bored, waiting for Kimberly to wake up and for Shannan to satisfy her hermit needs so that we can have an uproariously fun party. I keep glancing out the window, hoping to see the first of the trick-or-treaters, but no luck yet.

But then again, the huge bowl of chocolate in our piano room may end up being consumed by Carters and Searles only, because I doubt we'll get a whole lot of trick-or-treaters this year because no one knows how to have fun anymore. For some reason, parents won't allow their kids to knock on strangers' doors for candy, and besides, it's raining. That's enough to make any mother want to put her foot down. But I mostly blame the invention of the trunk-or-treat. What a great way to spoil the fun of a child's Halloween—giving the children candy that they didn't have to trudge through the freezing, wet streets for in a costume overloaded with extra padding for warmth. Sheesh—these days kids don't even have to work for their candy.

And it gets even worse than that. I used to think that Halloween was a kid's holiday, just like Valentine's Day, but I have been proven wrong again and again. Now adults are expected to dress up for work and school and for ridiculous parties. Apparently, most adults spend a good portion of the month of October planning up creative Halloween costumes and they actually enjoy themselves. I am totally fine with others making a fool out of themselves on Halloween—it's actually quite entertaining for me—but the minute they try to get me involved with their "fun," that's when I run away to my parents house and watch a "scary" movie. A much better way to spend Halloween. And every now and then we get give candy to the cute little families that knock on our door.

In the good, old days, my dad would take us trick-or-treating while my mom would get a much-needed break. (But that was only on the off chance that my dad didn't have to deliver pizza to hundreds of hungry zombies, witches, ghosts, and zebras.) My mom would make us wear coats over our costumes. We would go through as much of the neighborhood as we could without dropping dead. And at some point, we would stop at the Lee's house down the road and drink delicious hot cider while conversing with the neighbors. Then, when dad couldn't make us get out of the warm van anymore, we would come home and Mom would feed us something warm, and then we would go visit the grandparents.

That's what Halloween is supposed to be like—not crazy costume parties and lame trunk-or-treating. It makes me sad to think that my kids will probably never experience the kind of Halloween I enjoyed as a kid.

Wow. Now the thunder is rolling and the leaves are scurrying for . . . cover. And the hail is coming down murderously. Yep, I'll be surprised if I see any trick-or-treaters tonight. The good thing, however, is that Kimberly and Shannan have now emerged. Time for some awesome sister bonding.

And kudos to anyone who is adventurous enough to venture out in this weather. They will be my new favorite people.