Halloween Musings

                             A neighbor hood ghost swinging between two trees. 

          A bunch of trick or treaters waiting to hit the streets and fill their bags with treats.

This year we had a great Halloween, mainly because it was above zero and there was no snow!  My two boys and their friends spent the evening collecting candy, and then came back to our place for some hot chocolate.  Some even went out for a second go round.  Two smart ones looked at their haul and felt they had more than enough to last for a long time, and stayed back to relax and enjoy the fruits of their labors.

We don't get a lot of trick or treaters at our house, people seem to go to the newer subdivisions.  The houses are closer together and make for faster candy collection, I guess.  I still like to carve pumpkins with the children and put up some not so scary decorations.  We even play a little Halloween music for the ones that do come to our door. 

I know there's always a big debate about Halloween.  In our ward the discussion often centres on whether or not to hold a trunk or treat party.  (Let me 'splain.  No, there is no time.  Let me sum up.)  Basically a church party held in the chapel parking lot on activity night.  Kids dress up in their costumes, adults decorate the trunk of their car, and then hand out candy to the kids as they make the loop of the parking lot.  Traditionally this is held on years when Halloween falls on a Sunday, like last year.  This year it was decided to hold it again, which meant two rounds of trick or treating for all the children in our ward.  I participated with my family, especially since my two teenagers were helping to plan some indoor activities for the younger children.  However, I have reservations.  Mainly, if we have two trick or treat events a Halloween, then the kids will feel gypped on a year when it falls on Sunday.  Also, nobody needs that much candy.  And finally, two big batches of Halloween candy are not cheap, and ward events should never make it financially stressful on families that might be struggling.  So there, I have weighed in on the issue of the Annual Trunk or Treat.

My next problem with Halloween is this:  Halloween seems to have crossed the line from slightly spooky to genuinely disturbing.  I went into a local store called the Spirit of Halloween, and I was not impressed with the display of zombie babies, squishy baby heads, corpses and other really gross things.  I think that Halloween was for kids when I was a little girl, and seems to have ventured into the adult zone in later years.  Plus, the costumes for women and girls are really demeaning.  There was a line of costumes for girls 4-8 in another store marketed as Little Divas, and they were very suggestive.  Not to mention what is available for teenagers and grown women.  My daughter had a really hard time finding an appropriate costume, and ended up going as a rag doll.  She was very cute, and covered up.  Not to mention the fact that we live in Northern Canada, so why would you wear a costume that is appropriate for Miami Beach. 

That`s it.  That`s all I have to say on Halloween.  It`s gone from a night where you carved a pumpkin and raided your mother`s closet for a costume, to a major commercial enterprise that seems to rival Christmas for outdoor decorations, while pushing the boundaries of good taste. ( Plus I miss the days when you`d get homemade fudge, caramel apples and popcorn balls.)