Trick or Treating on Halloween
Ding-dong! The doorbell rings ominously. Cautiously, you walk toward the front door, suspicious beings lurking right outside. With a shaking hand, you reach out, and twist the knob, and pull, your breath trembling with fear…
“Trick or Treat!”
Without a doubt, Halloween was definitely one of my favorite holidays as a child. Well, as a younger child. I loved walking from door to door, clad in the costume of Dorothy, or a witch, or dragon. One year, I think I even went as a mouse. Safe to say that my costume choices were full of variety. I loved collecting the candy, saying “Trick or Treat” to all of my neighbors.
The trick or treating wasn’t the only part of Halloween that I liked. Every year, my family goes out to a pumpkin patch, and we each pick out a pumpkin. And, invariably, every year one of us will pick an odd shaped one that we claim is full of “character”. When we carve up the pumpkins, we all crowd around the dinner table, which is covered in newspapers. My mother stands to the side, snapping pictures and taking record of the whole ordeal.
The second my father cuts off the top of my older sister’s pumpkin, she’ll dig right in, going up to her elbows in pumpkin goo. My little brother tries to do the same, scooping clumps of seeds and gunk with his bare hands, though his face shows how grossed out he is. Honestly, I don’t blame him. I refuse to touch the slimy, orange goop that reminds me far too much of squash, with which I have a firm loathing. My younger sister and I will use spoons to scoop out the mush. Sometimes, my older sister and father will separate the seeds out to make pumpkin seeds.
When I was younger, Halloween seemed to last forever. It felt like we were out on the streets for hours trekking along every street anywhere near us. Unfortunately, most people are done offering candy by nine, at the latest. It’s such a short holiday, and yet it’s one that we prepare for as much as we prepare for Christmas or birthdays.
Halloween is a short but sweet holiday, one that we look forward to, but doesn’t last very long. It’s a holiday that can create lasting memories, if you let it. I know I enjoy trick or treating, dressing up, and eating the candy. That’s the best part. So don’t worry if you spot a ghost or goblin walking down your road. You don’t need the Ghostbusters. You just need a really big bowl of candy. Happy Halloween! See you next week!
“Reprinted from Hagel Publications, Inc. dba as Courier Newspapers”