I was pretty excited about Halloween this year. Our son is getting to an age where he really enjoys things a lot. That said, I was also a little bit worried that it wouldn't be as great as I remember it being from my own childhood.
Things have changed a lot in our country over the past 30 years. The sense of community that was so prevalent when I was a kid seems to have almost disappeared. It's hard to know your neighbors like you used to. I feared that Halloween, always a favorite of kids, would show clear signs of the strain.
Much to my delight, however, it seems like Halloween is back, and back in style. We started walking around our little neighborhood, and I was pleasantly surprised to find lots of houses with obvious signs of participation. Everybody was in high spirits. Everybody bragged on our kid and how cute he was (always a favorite of any parent). By the end of the night, our Thomas the Tank Engine candy bucket heavy with loot, we drove to our favorite fire station to give a little gift to the guys who couldn't be with their own kids on Halloween, and to get some pictures with the "fy-twucks". Mockbaboy was exhausted, and the fire station trip was a little more like trying to wrestle an alligator than a good photo-op. Nevertheless, we had a great time, and a lot of laughs.
My wife and I drove the short way home with a new sense of faith in humanity. The world hasn't gone completely crazy after all, perhaps. We still live in a great area in a great state with some really great people. My hopes that my son will have as magical a childhood as I did are once again buoyed. We're gonna be alright.
Much to my delight, however, it seems like Halloween is back, and back in style. We started walking around our little neighborhood, and I was pleasantly surprised to find lots of houses with obvious signs of participation. Everybody was in high spirits. Everybody bragged on our kid and how cute he was (always a favorite of any parent). By the end of the night, our Thomas the Tank Engine candy bucket heavy with loot, we drove to our favorite fire station to give a little gift to the guys who couldn't be with their own kids on Halloween, and to get some pictures with the "fy-twucks". Mockbaboy was exhausted, and the fire station trip was a little more like trying to wrestle an alligator than a good photo-op. Nevertheless, we had a great time, and a lot of laughs.
My wife and I drove the short way home with a new sense of faith in humanity. The world hasn't gone completely crazy after all, perhaps. We still live in a great area in a great state with some really great people. My hopes that my son will have as magical a childhood as I did are once again buoyed. We're gonna be alright.
Happy Halloween, everybody.
