To the people who pass out candy on Halloween, thank you. You are keeping the magic alive.
Parenting Politics/Community

To the People Who Pass Out Candy on Halloween

 

When we took our son Trick or Treating for the first time, many fond memories were made that night. None of these memories would have been possible if strange people didn’t sit outside their homes and pass out candy. My terrific toddler still hated his costume. He also hated a little red wagon almost as much.

He started off by being carried two houses down where something magical happened. They put candy in his neon green pumpkin bucket. They put A LOT of candy in the bucket. Suddenly, his costume wasn’t so awful anymore. Within this very moment, he obtained one goal for the evening; to get more candy in his bucket.

Block after block, he either walked or was carried. Each house with a light on and people waiting outside was an opportunity. The terrific toddler would slowly make his way up long winding sidewalks to a strange house. He would stand sometimes in a line, other times by himself, and stare at strangers.

He never learned to say “Trick or Treat” in time. He would instead walk up to houses and greedily say, “I gettttsss.” After he received a treat from one house, he toddler-waddled his way back down the sidewalk and began to clap. He stood there giving Halloween a standing ovation.

The spontaneous applause came because neighbors were giving him treasured candy. He had no real understanding of the long standing tradition, but he was thrilled to participate. He also quickly learned, “No, we do NOT crawl into strangers’ houses. I don’t care how much candy they gave you.”

These words are for the people who still hold true to the tradition of Trick or Treating. To the people who made one little boy’s first Trick or Treat a success. We noticed many houses with lights off and no one braving the autumn evening chill. But within a few short steps were neighbors with happy, pleasant and warm smiles. These people spent small fortunes on candy.

I once read that fate intervenes daily. A smile can change a day. A kind word can lift a spirit. Every action with another is not by chance. Every person we encountered on our first Trick or Treat evening made the night a little more special.

To the people who still pass out candy, I am grateful. I often wonder if this ritual will hold out much longer. Many communities and churches sponsor ‘trunk or treats’ or they have a designated safe street blocked off where vendors come and pass out candy. As a parent, I understand the necessity in these safer versions of Trick or Treat. As a person who went house to house with my little sister and saw our neighbors, almost all we knew by name, I don’t want this tradition to go away.

A little magic still remains in the old ways. Good people are still left in our neighborhoods. They gather on their front porches, put candy in plastic pumpkin buckets, and they make one evening shimmer with Halloween magic.

This post was originally published on The Misfits of a Mountain Mama.

*****

About Rachel E. Bledsoe

Rachel E. Bledsoe is an Appalachian Mama and Misfit. She writes about her adventures, heartaches, and details her life’s journey on the blog, The Misfits of a Mountain Mama. She also enjoys long walks on the beach, puppies, and Marie Antoinette biographies. Be sure to follow her by visiting The Misfits of a Mountain Mama’s Facebook page or join her on Twitter @MisfitMtMama.