Patricia Stoltey

Author

I’m Not a Big Fan of Halloween

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HalloweenI liked Halloween okay when I was a kid, but the experience was quite diluted compared to what city kids experienced. I lived on a farm, so my dad would drive my brother and me to a couple of the neighbors’ houses, and that was it. Huge Trick-or-Treat bags full of candy was not part of my childhood.

The most fun I ever had on a Halloween came during my working years at a good-sized company in South Florida. I had never dressed up at any job for that holiday, so I was considered a Halloween spoilsport of the worst kind. That’s why the year I decided to cover up from head to toe in a homemade monster-from-the-deep costume and an ugly rubber mask was a big success. I stayed far away from my own office, wandering the big common area full of accounting clerks in cubicles, supervisors in bigger cubicles, and cruising past the managers’ offices with barely a glance. I didn’t speak so no one could figure out my identity from my voice.

No one recognized me. I was in my mid-fifties, and I had finally enjoyed a Halloween to its fullest.

I’m retired now and a stay-at-home writer, I don’t go to Halloween parties, and the young Trick-or-Treaters stopped coming into the dark corner of our court years ago. We finally stopped buying the candy that we always ended up eating ourselves, and we keep the gate closed and the porch light off.

In a way, it’s kind of sad to have a holiday I can’t enjoy, but Halloween and Trick-or-Treating seems outdated and even dangerous. And then there’s this thing going on about clowns. See, when I think of a clown, I think of the great sad-faced Emmett Kelly. Or all the funny-faced clowns piling into the little car at the circus. I always liked clowns.

Things change. Have they changed for you, or are you still a fan of Halloween?

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Comments

  1. We don’t get many trick-or-treaters coming by anymore and I miss that, plus my grandkids are past that age. But our neighborhood has a parade on the Saturday before Halloween complete with a police car, firetruck, and the local high school marching band (in costumes). Children, teens, adults, and even pets walk in the parade to show off their costumes, and there are judges and prizes. My sons walked in that parade our first year here, when they were five and three years old. Last Saturday, two of my teenage grandkids were there – one as a volunteer and the other in the band. I guess going to that parade is my Halloween.

    • I would love the marching band part of that celebration. My boys were in marching band and it was one of the best part (for me) of their high school years.

  2. Last night we only had about 50 trick-or-treaters although the weather was perfect. We live on a court and most of the kids in our neighborhood are teenagers or young adults. Some of the costumes were very creative, one was a citizen from the Hunger Games, then there was the Pharoh, and the Mario Brothers, and the zombie bride.

  3. Interesting reflection, Pat. I wonder if our feelings about the holiday depend at least in part on where and how we’re raised. There aren’t a lot of trick-or-treaters where I live, either – just a few. But I know places where there are lots of them. And I know a lot of places have chosen to have community parties rather than trick-or-treating. Speaking of parties, I love that story about your office party – what fun that nobody could guess who you were!

    • Hi Margot!I think I just wore myself out overcompensating when my kids were little. I even threw a Halloween party for the neighborhood kids a couple of times.

  4. I agree with your comment on my post, Pat. Just not fun anymore. Well, I’m old 🙂 And the world has indeed changed and is so dangerous for children. I would like to be with the two little boys in Albuquerque, but … I just told my nextdoor neighbor, who’s older too, that I won’t turn on my porch light because I don’t have any candy, and doubt anyone will come into our development trick or treating. They didn’t last year. My “littlest” daughter who loves Halloween was sad last year because they hardly got any trick or treaters in their development. But that’s the way it is. Makes me feel a bit sad, too.

    Looking forward to your upcoming book. I saw your comment I think it was on Lynda R. Young’s blog, about how “faith” is woven into it. That’s great. And I’ve also still got Dead Wrong on my list. Now that I’m no longer fussing over my WordPress blog I plan to do more reading and just might get to it before I’m 80!

    So glad you’re my Blogger friend. Sometimes it feels like I could drive just a few miles and literally see you.

    • Wouldn’t that be fun?!

      Be forewarned my writing is a little dark and edgy these days. It’s kind of peculiar because I’m really not a dark and edgy person…as a rule. 😀

  5. We don’t really do much for Halloween, and we don’t get any trick-or-treaters. There aren’t many kids in our development, and we usually keep the front light off anyway – I’m not opening the door to the dark. Who knows who or what will come in?! 😮

    • I’m glad I’m not a parent of small kids in these times, Diane. I used to take my kids around the neighborhood and had no concerns. These days I’d worry and probably take them to visit only the people I know well.

  7. Like you, not a big fan anymore. We don’t get any trick-or-treaters either. I’ve been to a few parties as an adult, but it’s been years since I dressed up.
    Funny that no one figured out it was you.

  8. I’m still a fan of Halloween, but you’re right things have changed. Growing up we never had to worry as much about the dangers of trick or treating as youngsters do today. Where we live there are no youngsters around so we have no trick or treaters visiting and I guess I miss that most. It was always fun to see their excitement. Hope you have a great Halloween even if it’s not the same as it once was. 🙂

    Thoughts in Progress
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    • I guess I’ll be hiding in the living room, watching Dancing with the Stars. And feeling sad because this year there’s no candy in the house.