"This is Halloween, This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween..."
It's that time of year again. A great cold day for Trick or Treating, for carnivals, and spook houses. To dress up. To feel young again. To eat all the candy you shouldn't and not regret it (at least until tomorrow).
So, why not enjoy it?
Turn on the lights and pass out candy instead of acting like you are not home. Go trick or treating yourself. If nothing else, go pass out candy to cashiers at grocery stores and fast food windows; make someone's day who has to work.
Why not go to mass and light candles for those that have passed on before, a recognition of the commencement of Allhallowtide?
How ever you celebrate, please, let everybody else enjoy the fun too.
If you are passing out candy, give candy to the teenagers who come to your door. Don't ask if "they are too old to be trick or treating." They could be doing so many other worse things than being a little childish. If it keeps them safe and legal, why not. You don't know if they're just hungry, or if they don't want to go home to whatever awaits them there. Further, don't equate size with mental state. You don't know what level they are able to interact with you on. It shouldn't matter. If they come to your door, let them have a little fun tonight, too.
Please don't refuse to give candy to kids who aren't dressed up or who barely have a costume on. The child might have sensory issues or autism that makes dressing up impossible. Don't berate anyone who doesn't say thank you. They may be non-verbal.
If they are not from "your" neighborhood, good. More's the better. Make sure they feel safe in your neighborhood too.
Halloween has gotten a bad rap in many circles, particularly Evangelical, stemming from a complete misunderstanding of the holiday and its history. There should be something for everyone to enjoy and reflect on tonight.
So, in the spirit of the season, I wish you a great All Hallows' Eve. May you have a blessed and safe evening. May you get full sized candy bars. And may you enter this season of remembrance looking toward the Thanksgiving to come.
Happy Halloween, everybody!
"Anyone could see that the wind was a special wind this night, and the darkness took on a special feel because it was All Hallows' Eve. Everything seemed cut from soft black velvet or gold or orange velvet. Smoke panted up out of a thousand chimneys like the plumes of funeral parades. From kitchen windows drifted two pumpkin smells: gourds being cut, pies being baked."
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