Halloween Ain't What It Used To Be

It's now October and everywhere you see the signs of the season...Halloween.

A few years ago the children at our church school were allowed to wear their Halloween costumes on a designated day just before October 31 and "trick or treat" by going by the staff offices where we gave them pre-approved treats. Not too much sugar!

Gradually pressure from parents and a more subtle pressure from the many fundamentalist Christians in our area caused the school to restrict the type of costumes the children could wear. No more witches, wizards, devils, ghosts, or vampires were allowed. Apparently this did not satisfy those who fretted about what children wore on the holiday. Next the children were told they could not wear costumes of a superhero (Superman, Spiderman, Ninja Turtles, Supergirl, Batman etc) either. I assume Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings characters would be persona non grata as well.

Enforcement of these decrees being difficult, the school tried another tack. Instead of Halloween characters, the children may come to school dressed as "Community Helpers." That means you can come as a policeman, fireman, doctor, nurse, or teacher. And no--Superman and Spiderman are not "community helpers."

The old Halloween carnivals of my youth and my children's childhood are now called "Fall Festivals". We're having one thousand pumpkins delivered to the school grounds in a couple of weeks for a Pumpkin Patch--which is a fundraiser. Will we have to promise if we buy them we won't make jack-o-lanterns out of them since jack-o-lanterns are supposed to scare off the ghosts, demons and other scary figures of Halloween?

I loved Halloween. We always decorated extensively for it and kept the decorations up all of October when Portia and Babs were little. We told ghost stories and sang little Halloween songs about witches and made cookies and talked endlessly about what they would be for Halloween. Portia was usually some sort of witch. Babs was usually some sort of princess. I made their costumes and had a ball doing it. We got sick on candy corn and Halloween colored M&M's. Portia and Babs hoarded and traded their treats for at least a month afterwards.

The kids in our neighborhood still dress up like witches, warlocks, Harry Potter, vampires, ghosts and (of course!) princesses when they come around to trick-or-treat. They don't come to ring my doorbell wearing "Community Helpers" outfits. The real appeal of Halloween is that the children get to pretend they are powerful and in charge. They enjoy the fantasy--and they know it is a fantasy.

My ancestors, in the famous quip of Disraeli, were painting themselves blue and howling at the moon in the ancient forests of Scotland and Germany in the time of Christ. Maybe that's why I always loved Halloween. Is it some kind of ancestral urge that I have to dress up in my long black cape and dress to hand out the Halloween treats?

And by the way, at my house the treats are not dried fruit, nuts, or other nutritional alternatives. No, no, no--Portia and Babs would never allow that. Our treats are always chocolate. Another reason I love Halloween.