Halloween

I think I've come to the conclusion that Halloween is only for kids and old people (like my parents!), but does not provide much for people my age. Little kids have the opportunity to get dressed up in funny costumes, which are sometimes made by the parents, and go out trick-or-treating. Why do they call it that when the only thing the little kids care about is the treating? They don't even know any good tricks...until I teach them some!

And then there's the 'tweeners...late teens to mid-thirties. Too old to dress up and ask complete strangers for some free candy. Unfortunately, some of the people in this age group take it upon themselves to do the tricking part, but it is usually illegal activity so it's not really much of a trick as it is vandalism. I was working hard from home last Halloween, which meant that a couple of my lights in the house were on so I could do work...however, I did not turn on my porch light, which I thought was the indication that I was a house giving out candy. Regardless, the doorbell rang constantly all night, but seeing as I was working pretty hard and had not even gotten candy to give out, I just let them ring until they realized I wasn't answering. I realized the next day that some stupid punks in my neighborhood must have been slighted that I didn't give them free candy, so they egged my house...vandalism. What kind of irresponsible parent would allow their kids to go out on Halloween with a carton of eggs...and if the parent's weren't aware that their kids were even going out, well that's irresponsible as well. (can you sense the bitterness?!)

Then there's my parents, and even my grandpa...they go to a costume party every year which usually includes all of my extended family living anywhere near my hometown. Funny thing is, I don't think any of them go to costume shops to get the generic costumes that everyone else has on...NOOOOOOOOO. They make them from scratch. Now, this isn't a kids' costume that you can just throw some pieces of fabric together, call them a bum and you're set. Nope, there is some serious tailoring going on. It's probably because people in the older age group actually know how to sew, and they don't want to get shown up by the neighbor who won best costume last year, so these folks go all-out in trying to outdo everyone else...but this becomes the fun part for the old people. In the end, they are just like kids...dressing up for the fun of it (and for the kids, the reward is candy). Maybe it's their way of chasing their ever-fleeting youth.

So where does that leave me and my age group? Chasing the little kids around the neighborhood (if we've got kids) or chasing our parents around the neighborhood (because they never tell you where they're going or when they're coming back), which leave us...stuck in the middle.

Cheers,
Rocco