Halloween - Not What It Used to Be
Halloween used to be such a fun holiday for us as children. We would dress up in homemade costumes, using our wild imaginations to create them, and go out for 2-3 hours trick or treating to every house we could walk to. Arriving back home with a sack filled with candy and homemade popcorn balls or candied apples, where we would take inventory of the bounty we had gathered.
When my children were growing up we lived in a neighborhood full of houses for them to go to on Halloween night. One of us would take them out, while the other stayed home to greet all the trick or treating children that came to the door. Always delighting in the array of costumes, and seeing the smallest ones hold up their bucket for a treat. It was great fun no matter which task we were in charge of. We always had 60 to 100 children come to our house, as those who lived out in the country would drive down to allow their children to take part in the spooky and fun holiday.
Halloween has changed so much over the last 7-8 years. Where we once would have 50 or more arrive at our door in their costumes saying "trick or treat", we now are lucky to have 10 children. It is so disappointing, not only for us, but I have to believe many kids are missing out on what should be a fun holiday for them. I know that things have changed and parents tend to worry about what their children will be given for treats. However, they can certainly check things over before the kids eat them. Is it just worry over this, or are parents too busy working to dress up their children and take them around to trick or treat? Whatever the reason for the decline, it seems that children are the losers in this. Losing out on dressing up and having fun "scaring" people, losing out on going house to house to say "trick or treat" when the door opens, and losing out on taking stock of their bounty when they get home.
I hope that Halloween does not just become a holiday for adults to dress up and go to a party. Although it can be a lot of fun to do this, Halloween always was, and should be, a holiday for children. A time for them to use their imaginations, create a costume, and go out and have fun.
When my children were growing up we lived in a neighborhood full of houses for them to go to on Halloween night. One of us would take them out, while the other stayed home to greet all the trick or treating children that came to the door. Always delighting in the array of costumes, and seeing the smallest ones hold up their bucket for a treat. It was great fun no matter which task we were in charge of. We always had 60 to 100 children come to our house, as those who lived out in the country would drive down to allow their children to take part in the spooky and fun holiday.
Halloween has changed so much over the last 7-8 years. Where we once would have 50 or more arrive at our door in their costumes saying "trick or treat", we now are lucky to have 10 children. It is so disappointing, not only for us, but I have to believe many kids are missing out on what should be a fun holiday for them. I know that things have changed and parents tend to worry about what their children will be given for treats. However, they can certainly check things over before the kids eat them. Is it just worry over this, or are parents too busy working to dress up their children and take them around to trick or treat? Whatever the reason for the decline, it seems that children are the losers in this. Losing out on dressing up and having fun "scaring" people, losing out on going house to house to say "trick or treat" when the door opens, and losing out on taking stock of their bounty when they get home.
I hope that Halloween does not just become a holiday for adults to dress up and go to a party. Although it can be a lot of fun to do this, Halloween always was, and should be, a holiday for children. A time for them to use their imaginations, create a costume, and go out and have fun.
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