Halloween and Christmas have always been my two favorite holidays because both are centered on children. But Halloween has always seemed like a very special holiday and time of the year. Here in the South, you start to get a break from the heat and even cooler weather by the end of October. It actually starts to feel like Fall. Leaves change colors and fall, the landscape goes from green and humid in August and September to cool, breezy with shades of brown, yellow and orange as far as the eye can see.
One thing that I always enjoyed about Halloween is that it’s such a community-oriented holiday. So many of the activities are done as a family, and with other families. Children go trick or treating as a group, with parents and visit other houses. The children get to show each other their costumes, the parents get to say hi and quickly catch up. Some of my fondest memories of childhood were the events around Halloween. My middle school had a Halloween Carnival every year, where there were all these wonderful games and activities, prizes, a haunted house, everything. And so many friends to see and have fun with! There were hayrides when we were a little older and of course the thrill and excitement of going ‘rolling yards’ in our neighborhood and trying not to get caught!
But the one thing that made Halloween so special was….getting to pick and wear that Halloween costume! Think about it, all year children are scared of monsters, the ones that live under our beds or in our closets. You know, the ones that only come out when mom flips off the light in our room and tells us goodnight. But Halloween was when we got to confront those monsters and show them who was boss! We got to wear our Superman Halloween costume, or maybe we go in and become a monster ourselves, dressing up as Dracula or a witch? For one night every year, children embrace their fear of monsters, and show the monsters that we are stronger than they are! We reveled in the spooky and scary monsters, and showed them who was boss!
Halloween is such a wonderful time of year, especially for our children. I hope that this year yours get to create those magical memories that last a lifetime.
Halloween circa early 1980s is safe, thanks to Batman and Batgirl! Happy Halloween, y’all!
