Trick-or-Treat, Smell My Feet.......

Halloween is exactly one week from tonight!

Celebrating Halloween as we knew it when we were kids, is practically a thing of the past now. Schools don't have "Halloween" parties anymore, they're "Harvest" parties, if they even have a celebration. Just a few years ago we were getting 80-90 trick-or-treaters coming to our door in about a 3 hour time-span. Now we only get about 30. It's sad to see some of the old traditions going away.

I don't remember many Halloween's as a child. What I do remember is that we didn't have much in the way of costumes, like they do now. Usually a mask was it. Nothing too scary--just silly little plastic masks. Or if you had an old sheet that Mom didn't want, you cut some holes in it for eyes, and you were a ghost. I don't remember dressing up for Halloween parties at school, although I think we held them. I remember winning a trick or treat bag in 4th grade, playing Bingo in class. That was probably the very first thing I had ever won. For most of my growing up years we lived in a small neighborhood kinda out in the country. My brother & I would put on our masks and set out to trick or treat, but we never had much candy because of the smallness of the neighborhood, compared to what my own children brought home. But you got real candy bars for the most part--not the cheap little "penny candies" that a lot of people give out now. And if you were lucky, your parents drove you to a better neighborhood where you could get even more candy. And some pretty affluent people gave out money. Those were the days when "penny candy" really only cost a penny. Candy bars were a nickel, as were ice cream cones. Soda pop was a dime. If you were lucky enough to get a little money instead of candy, it was always good at the local candy or grocery store.

Once in a while we'd hear a story about someone finding a razor blade in an apple, but for the most part no one worried that we were going to be poisoned by our candy haul. Nowadays, parents have to check their kids' candy carefully, or only let them go to places where they know the residents.

Sometimes change is good, and this one probably is as well, in the long run; what with muggers and gangs terrorizing people these days. And we all know that candy sure isn't very good for you. And now, because two or three people would be offended by the traditional Halloween celebration, schools don't have those anymore.

As I give out candy to the 30-some odd kids that will darken our door next week, I'll feel sad for the changing times and will remember when things were more relaxed and easy-going, with little or no fear. For the changing of traditions often signal the changing times, and sometimes--they're not so good.