Halloween Week

There’s something about Halloween that has always felt sacred to me. Of course being a kid and going door to door getting candy from neighbors and strangers alike was pretty magical. So was heading out with a friend or siblings and that feeling of ghoulish camaraderie as you all huddled in a group, fighting off both the chill in the air and the chill that ran down your spine as crisp leaves sizzled under the weight of your tennis shoes. Their last, dying gasp a crunch between your soles and the sidewalk or neighborhood streets. But even more than that it was the theater of it all; purchasing a costume and disappearing into it for an evening, getting into character, and hitting the chilly fall air in search of tricks and treats.

I can tell you that the thrill does not diminish as you get older(as I’m sure you know.) First, as an adult there’s the excitement of an adult Halloween party. Pumpkins carved and on the front stoop, costumes purchased(much like that child you were not so long ago), and then inviting adult friends over to share in the tricks n treats. But those treats were in the form of cocktails and maybe even burgers and dogs on the grill. And also, handing out candy to those little kids that you once were. Seeing both their excitement and fear as parents stand about 10 feet back in the driveway, giving their little ghouls and goblins a little freedom while not letting them out of their sight.

But then there’s the phase of Halloween when you become the parent and your own kids are gearing up in a Halloween attire, ready to find their bounty of Fun-Size treats. This phase, honestly, was my favorite phase of Halloween. I found so much joy in taking my kids out on Halloween night and trick-or-treating. Even if the weather didn’t cooperate, I still made it fun. There was one Halloween in-particular where it rained and my daughters were too little to explain why they couldn’t go out and get candy, so I improvised. I took the bowl of candy we’d bought for the trick-or-treaters that were supposed to be coming to our house and I went behind all the bedroom doors while the girls trick-or-treated inside. They didn’t seem to care, as long as someone was giving them candy.

Another Halloween our middle kid was coming down with a nasty cold, so instead of her missing out I drove them around on a misty, cold Halloween night in my car and we hit a couple different neighborhoods so she could still enjoy the night. The next year was maybe one of my favorite Halloween evenings with the kids, as the weather was perfect(chilly but clear out) and we hit our neighborhood plus two nearby. My son was a vampire, our middle kid was a witch, and I think our oldest was an old lady. Besides the middle kid’s witch hat blowing off her head the entire night it was a near perfect time. Afterwards we came home and ate pizza and I enjoyed a Leinenkugel Snowdrift Porter. We ended that night watching Resident Evil.

I think the most memorable Halloween night was ten years ago, Halloween 2014. My wife had our oldest and about four of her friends in the family van, while I took our two youngest in my car. By the time we started the evening we were in a near white-out with snow. One of the craziest Halloween nights ever. Thankfully we were cruising around in warm vehicles, so the kids all made out like bandits.

All the kids are now adults and those days have long since passed. No more trips to Kmart or Walmart looking for the perfect costume. No more scarfing down dinner so we could hit the streets in search of candy and spooky adventures. No more getting back, dumping all the candy on the kitchen table and watching the kids barter and trade one confection for another like pirates trading their booty. And no more post-trick or treating horror movies.

All I’ve got now are those memories that will stick with me as long as I can keep them in my mind. And thankfully, I’ve got some pictures as well.

Halloween will always be special to me, no matter how old I get or how old my kids get. It’s a day everyone enjoyed and looked forward to. And even though nowadays it’s as sad as it is spooky, I’ll never not love it.