| The joy. The anticipation. The delight. As a child, | | | | big chest just chocking full of all sorts of candies and |
| Halloween was one of my favorite things. Better | | | | you could take whatever you wanted. |
| even than Christmas which was always bitter sweet | | | | All of this fun was free and freely given. You didn't |
| for me because we were not well to do and my little | | | | have to work for it. You didn't have to meet |
| sister always wanted everything that I got as well as | | | | someone's expectations of you to be worthy of it. |
| her own presents. My parents always urged me to | | | | You got it for simply being who you were. It was a |
| just let her play. | | | | most wonderful thing. And you did not have to |
| But Halloween, now there was something! I had my | | | | worry about what was in the home-made things. |
| own paper bag that had my name printed on it. | | | | My parents let us eat anything we wanted on that |
| Anything in that bag was mine and mine alone. No | | | | one night, but not anything that went into our bags. |
| pilfering, playing with or "borrowing" allowed. But more | | | | The bags went onto a very high shelf in a cupboard |
| than that, I got to be anything I wanted to be (well, | | | | in the kitchen. After Halloween night, we were |
| within monetary limits). Usually, it was something fun | | | | allowed one piece of candy each day. The result was |
| like Sleeping Beauty or Annie Oakley. I wasn't much | | | | that we had candy almost all the way to Easter. |
| into the scary stuff like vampires or witches. If I | | | | Candy...for which I didn't have to do chores, in order |
| could have dressed up as Annie Oakley every day, I | | | | to earn money to buy it. |
| would have. | | | | In my opinion, Halloween today is a sad affair. Some |
| And it was fun! Our neighborhood was nice. There | | | | people decry it as an observance of a Pagan ritual |
| was the policeman down the street who never gave | | | | and want to do away with it. As a child, I had no |
| out candy, but he gave out cute little toys or coin | | | | idea that Halloween was supposedly borrowed from |
| banks. Then there were his next door neighbors who | | | | All Hallow's Eve, the last night of quiet spirits and an |
| went all out with the decorations and tried to scare | | | | attempt to appease them until sometime next May, |
| the pants off of you. It was usually on the way out | | | | when they would get quiet again. I suspect that |
| of their house after you had received your candy. | | | | today's kids still think that it's just about dressing up |
| You ran screaming and that was part of the fun. | | | | and getting free candy. There were no fears of |
| There was a husband and wife who had no children | | | | poison or razor blades or being abducted. I wish that |
| of their own. They put on a party every year that | | | | today's children could have what I had. I wish that |
| you could come and go from as you wished. There | | | | we could forget all the controversy and fix all the |
| was hot cider and hot chocolate. There were cookies | | | | fear and just let them have fun. Pure and simple fun. |
| and caramel apples and popcorn balls. There was this | | | | |