Halloween Then and Now

When I was a little kid in the 50's Halloween was a great time. I had this cowboy outfit that had two pistols, holsters and a hat. So it didn't take much with a small mask to render me unrecognizable, ha! I discovered this summer that our neighborhood really consisted of the 800 and 900 blocks of Superior Street. The 900 block was about as far west in Munising you could go. So it did not take long to cover those blocks and get a pretty good load of loot. However, being perhaps 6 or 7 I ventured into other blocks looking to load up good. I went past Lincoln School and was getting some distance from home. Was I worried, naw, with my pistols and hat I was invincible. I approached one home and knocked, a man came to the door and I pronounced the age old request, "Trick or Treat." The man made me come into the home and do a trick before I could get a treat. So I turned a cartwheel in his living room. There were other adults there enjoying the festivities and while I thought my task a little strange it was no big deal. I remember coming home with a paper bag with the fiber twist handles that was about 3/4 full of apples, caramels, a few candy bars, some change, and other treats. It was great.

Fast forward to Sturtevant, WI. The time was the latter part of the 70's. My children are 6 to 8 years old and it is Halloween. They have costumes. Their eyes sparkle in anticipation. The routine in the neighborhood is for Dad to escort the kids and Mom stays home and gives out candy, or vice versa. So out we go, me escorting beautiful angels, fairies or whatever the creature was. I stood back on the sidewalk as my two princesses went home to home collecting treats. We circled the block, we went through all of the blocks in the area and finally pleading fatigue we headed home. Time had changed some things. When I was a kid we just took all of the goodies as untainted. Now with stories of foreign objects put in apples, or unsealed items we sorted the loot first. We tossed apples and other fruit that was not in a sealed package. Not much got thrown out, so the kids had plenty of sweets for enjoying. We did that year after year for four or five years. I got such a kick out of my little ones full of enthusiasm running from house to house checking their bags and running home to show their mother their goods. They would sort their stuff, eat some of the candy and then collapse into bed. God, what a good time they had and what a joy they were.

Fast forward to 2000. Terry and I live in Jackson, MS. A new wife, a new life. My children are grown. Terry's kids are grown so now we are relegated to giving out the treats. Our next door neighbor has an audio/video studio and has rigged up lights and music outside of his house. Children running up to the home get almost to the porch when a light show comes on and the booming voice of Dracula comes out and music blares. Some little kids turn tail and run back to their parents. We have a pumpkin and our lights are on. We enjoy the little ones coming and yelling the age old "Trick or Treat" and opening their bags with enthusiasm. There are some older kids with no costumes running as fast as they can just gathering treats. I have a feeling they come from poorer families and perhaps are supplementing the treats the whole family may enjoy.

Fast forward to 2008. We live in a log cabin. We are at the very end of a private drive. It is dark up here, we have no outside lights such as yard lights. We do have lights that come on if something or one triggers the sensing device. We live back in the dark wooded area. No kids come. We are at peace. We eat the treats. No kid would dare come back here, it is just too dark and the house to creepy. We'll leave it that way.