Can We Talk 2

Happy Halloween!

         It's almost time to head out to the pumpkin patch. I know mine is the most sincere in the neighborhood, if not the whole town. I'll miss out on tricks or treats, but it will be worth it if The Great Pumpkin comes to see me!

         I have had the misfortune of sticking my foot in my mouth more than once when talking to children I don't know. You should not ask a child with whom you are not acquainted what he or she is going to be for Halloween. The kid stares awkwardly and gets a little nervous, until Mom speaks up and says, "We do not observe Halloween." I apologize and move on. I never pry. There are a variety of reasons including religious ones, so no use embarrassing the kid. I'm sure they feel left out of this childish ritual.

         I have noticed that many adults have not grown up and still celebrate the day, more than previous generations. It's a good excuse for costume parties. I never cared for the blood and gore part. But I think it's okay to dress up in scary costumes because it helps us to reduce our fears. If we can dress like Freddy Kreuger, then we don't have to be afraid of him. Frankenstein is just a lot of make-up and trickery. As for other costumes, like Smurfs and Raggedy Ann's, it is just plain fun to be creative and dream up this stuff. It's fun to make people laugh.

         By the way, I saw an article today about "what to do with leftover Halloween candy"' What is that? Leftover? If you plan right, you can have treats for a week! The only leftovers I can ever remember were the year my dad was into Starburst. He grew tired of them, so a year later, I threw them out of the candy jar. Actually, sounds good that we didn't need the candy jar that long. So, if you have leftover chocolate or caramel Halloween candy at your house, come on over to mine with your treats.