Holiday is not all doom and gloom

Halloween is rapidly approaching. The weather is appropriately cool, bordering on cold. The leaves quiver as they loosen from the trees and drift to the ground. They cover the grass and make a delightful crunch when one shuffles through them.

Soon parents will be prodding their children to say, “Trick or Treat” as adults drop candy into their bags, plastic pumpkins or even pillowcases. The smaller children will remain silent, eyes wide, remembering all those times they were told not to speak to strangers.

With all that has happened this year, it seems that the query of trick or treat has been answered. The world has opted for the trick instead of a treat. 

We are encouraged to wear a mask, wash our hands and stay away from each other. This is not only a local mandate but a strong recommendation for the whole planet. 

Our world has a population of around 7.8 billion according to the most recent tally that I could find. About 326.7 million of those live in the United States. No two people have the exact same beliefs, yet the scientists, researchers and doctors are asking all 7.8 billion of us to take the same precautions. It isn’t working so well. People are still dying.

What does the pandemic have to do with Halloween? Halloween is the end of summer. We may have accepted that summer was over last month according to the calendar, but for me the seasons don’t officially change until the temperatures drop and the air puts on the perfume of fall.

When I was little, autumn began when we drove over to the neighbor’s house for apples and some freshly made cider. Sometimes we picked the apples and sometimes we opted for ones that were already picked. Sometimes they had apple butter and honey to sell. 

The scariest costume anyone could wear this year would not be some kind of monster. Zombies, wolfmen, witches and others couldn’t compete with a costume made to look like coronavirus. A whole host of superheroes couldn’t vanquish it.

Some people used to think that on Halloween the portals to other worlds open. The souls of the dead were said to mingle with the living. Masks were worn so the undead couldn’t recognize the masked person, therefore ensuring that the soul was safe for another year.

I seldom went trick-or-treating as a child. One year, I went to three different towns with two different friends and a cousin. I can’t remember going any other time. My daughter went every year when she was a kid. 

One of my favorite Halloween stories is about when my daughter was out gathering candy with her dad. Both the neighbors and I ran out of candy. We sent her husband to get more candy and he came home with full-sized chocolate bars. The last few beggars were treated to the full-size version instead of the little candies the others received.

My other favorite story is about when we lived on a cul-de-sac. The girls who lived down the street dressed up as cardboard computers, and the dog was also in costume. As luck would have it, we also had a dog, so I was able to put a dog bone in its sack. Yes, it had its own treat bag. That is the only time I had a dog come to the door.

For me, the holiday means it is time to make sure all the outside tasks are done for the year. I enjoy seeing the kids dressed up in their costumes. For the longest time, my grandchildren would wear their costumes year-round. They are too big for that now. 

There is no predicting what the future holds. Even though there is a lot of doom and gloom this time of year, there is also a lot of hope and gratitude. People commit little kindnesses every day.  

Halloween will be here before we know it. May it be everything you want it to be.