Yet another traumatic Halloween tale to tell, this one new and unexpected!! Weeks ago, Anthony and I stocked up on candy bars for our trick-or-treaters, and made no plans for Sunday night so we were sure to be at home. I even debated if I would wear a costume to greet the kids that came to our door, that's how excited I was! I love seeing all the tiny shy little kids begging for candy - it's a rite of passage and some of my favorite memories!
The weekend arrived and I set out to dutifully check the internet for our new town's trick-or-treating hours, so we'd be sure to have all the lights a-blazing for the little kids to find the new house! We had grand plans to pass out so much candy that the kids would talk about how glad they were we had come to the neighborhood and how we were their favorite house. So there I am on our town's website, and mild surprise registered that this information was not readily available on the front page. So I checked their calendar. And their recreational events. And every other slightly relevant link. Panic began to creep in, so I called out to my husband to use his magic internet navigational skills. A minute or so passed and he had not found anything - at that point, I was full-blown freaking out! Then he issued those terrible, horrible words: "Apparently Wilmington doesn't *do* trick-or-treating." "WHAT?!?!," I yelped, "What do you mean, 'doesn't do?'" He explained they had a parade the prior weekend to celebrate the holiday. Major flaws with that plan were readily apparent to me, if to no one else. 1) Why the prior weekend, then everyone misses it? 2) No one is dressing up and ready with their costume a week early! Then what do the kids do/talk about when Halloween actually rolls around? 3) How does a parade, in any way, compare to going door to door and getting free food from strangers?! This makes no sense!!
Infuriated, I figured no kids in their right mind are going to pass up a chance for free candy. Especially the kids that had grown up in the town and had no need to go on the town's website. So when dusk began to settle on Sunday night, I turned on every outdoor light as well as our main floor's inside lights. I didn't want any kids to doubt whether we had candy in the house. As time passed, our doorbell remained depressingly un-rung. I was very, very sad. I am not sure if it was fear of pedophiles, fear of walking around a neighborhood and accidentally *gasp* exercising, fear of drug-addled candy, whatever, that kept kids from defying the town and doing what kids have been doing for decades, but it was depressing. I am now wholly unsatisfied with the town we live in, and have already made plans to be at a friend's house come next Halloween! (They got over 200 kids this year!!!!!)
Regardless of my personal disappointment, I just can't believe that Trick-or-Treating is now optional in this state. Everyone that matters knows that any lights on after dark on Halloween signal a holiday-friendly house, and I am saddened that kids in my town seem to be completely forbidden from participating in this American ritual. Say what you want about the holiday, but I just feel that this signals a depressing trend in our country. I really hope our town is just the odd-town-out, and that this is not a widespread phenomenon. I will probably still buy candy next year just in case...heaven help me if a kid braves the cold and dark, and I do not have candy to reward them with. But still, my enthusiasm for this holiday (already somewhat low) has now suffered an irrevocable blow.
On a small tangent, if anyone has serious chocolate cravings, please stop by our house!!! :)
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If it's any consolation (and I know it's not), your niece and nephew live in an awesome community for trick-or-treating. Watching Kaylen say "trick-or-treat" and then "thank you
ReplyDelete- bye, bye" reminded me so much of you when you were little. It remains to be seen if she will savor her haul for weeks on end like you did.