Halloween

It's that time of year again, when all the kiddies come out dressed as ghouls, goblins, Hulks and princesses all in search of treats in which you had better make good on lest you be the recipient of a trick! To be perfectly honest, I have never been on the receiving end of Halloween trickery. That's not to say that I haven't doled out my fair share of holiday hi jinks in my younger years. With that said, whoever owned that convertible red VW bug in 1988, I would like to say I'm sorry and I hope that everything cleaned up easily.
Now that I am considered an adult, well, my wife might have a different opinion on that, I am responsible for ensuring that my kids have a safe and spooky experience on that one special night when jumping at a shadow brings out a little nervous laughter.
Being scared is one thing I miss most about being a child. The "fears" I have now are manageable and usually have something to do with something horrible happening to my family or friends. I recall being absolutely frozen in fear while watching The Exorcist with my dad when I was about 6 years-old. I must have had nightmares for at least 15 years afterwards. In fact, even as I write this, a memory of one of those nightmares caused a shiver to course up my spine and the hair on the back of my neck to raise. This is what I like, this is what I miss. When you grow up and realize that there is no Freddy Kruger in your dreams, Michael Myers hiding in your closet or Jason under your bed, everything that was once "scary" just becomes... silly. Also as an adult, I realize that if Jason or Michael Myers were hiding in my house, they would have to deal with the .45 Sig Sauer I keep handy for all the "monsters" of the world. The fear that feeds children's nightmares is a powerful thing. The fear, however, does not deter them from hitting the streets in search of a chocolate high.
On Halloween, most kids are like sugar-fueled animals ripping through flower beds and practically pushing one another down to get from one house to the next in search of the candy. The last thing on their mind are the things that go bump in the night. My kids aren't really that different. I spend most of the time trying to keep them out of the grass, reminding them to say "Trick or treat" and then prompting them to say "Thank you" as they practically leap off the porch to run to the next house; wash, rinse and repeat for the next hour. I typically take a thermos of warm wassail, which I highly recommend as a holiday drink, with as much Sailor Jerry rum as I can fit in there, which I recommend even more, and that keeps the entire annual "candy run" in pretty good perspective.
The last hour my wife and I will usually sit on the front porch to hand out candy to the kids who are still beating the streets for the sweets. Typically, our kids our sitting near us rummaging through their goodies and asking which ones they are allowed to eat. My three year old is constantly reminding me that she isn't going to eat the whole bag because that would make her "belly" hurt.
So, with pumpkins to carve and costumes to prepare, I will leave you to prepare for your own holiday traditions. In the meantime, remember to use this special night as a reason to feel scared again. Pay attention to the shadow that just seemed to move out of the corner of your eye, listen for the sounds of footsteps rushing up behind you and the howls of animals on the hunt. Then, take a sip of rum and remember that it's just the children celebrating the "frighteningly" awesome holiday that is Halloween.
Oh, and one more thing; yes, the picture attached is the pumpkin I carved for this years festivities.
Until next time, enjoy the pure random.