Ready For The Big Day

by Brendan Smith
Weirs Times Editor

Halloween is a lot different now than when I was a kid.
Back then no one was really looking out for us. We were let loose to roam as we pleased and we were allowed to dress up as anything we wanted without considering feelings. Shenanigans were the order of the day and there was no repercussions.
It was a dangerous and insensitive time.
Now, as I am older, I realize the responsibility I have in making Halloween the serious day it should be.
We don’t get that many trick or treaters on our street, but that doesn’t mean we should let our guard down and be complacent.
We are always prepared.
We usually have a bag full of candies to give out just in case there is suddenly a mad rush of kids knocking on our door. We don’t want to ever be caught short-handed and be talked about. Also, I did hear that there may be a slight uptick in trick or treaters this year due to climate change and we want to be ready.
This year we are planning on buying a couple of extra bag of goodies, including gluten free and vegan options, so as to make sure we can meet the dietary needs of any trick or treaters we might get.
I did write last year about one trick or treater, who upon seeing all we had were peanut butter cups, informed me that he didn’t like peanut butter. Then realizing that his options were limited, he succumbed and begrudgingly took a few.
He didn’t even say “Thank You” but that was understood. We had disappointed him with what we had to offer. We should have been better prepared to meet his needs.
I am hoping he will be back this year and be delighted in our new selection. We realize our responsibility as the givers of candy and how our actions could reflect upon the choices he might make in the future.
It must be so hard to be a parent today and have to worry so much that others will make the right choices in helping your kids develop into good people.
I always remember to check the Halloween schedule in advance so I know the dates and times when kids are allowed to go trick or treating.
Even though Halloween is on a Thursday this year, I noticed that some towns are celebrating it on Wednesday, for reasons that only a well-oiled bureaucracy can understand.
I read that Halloween in the city where I live will actually be on the exact day that it falls on. I realize this will be inconvenient to some, but I’m sure the decision was arrived at after a long and thoughtful process that took everyone’s schedule under consideration.
As it has been common practice for many years now, there is also a certain time frame when trick or treating is allowed. Not one second before or one second after the designated hours can one knock on your door.
It’s not like the old wild west days when we were kids, running willy-nilly through the streets at anytime of the day or night, knocking on doors at ungodly hours, demanding our treats or there would be a trick. It’s amazing we ever survived.
Now us folks who are handing out the treats have a more civilized framework to adhere to. I for one always have my phone at the ready to make that 911 call should an errant trick or treaters darken my doorstep past the designated hour. (You’d think that shutting down all outside lights at 7:01pm would be enough of a deterrent.)
I am not sure what the penalty is for trick or treating outside the designated hours, but I hope it is significant. It’s best to start teaching these kids at an early age that rules and laws just can’t be ignored. It will make for better and more obedient citizens in the future.
Of course, being vigilant, I will be on the lookout for any Halloween costumes which may be found offensive. With the miniscule amount of trick or treaters we have had in the past, it has yet to be a problem. Still, there are at least a hundred or more offensive costumes on the list than there were just a couple of years ago, so the chances of me seeing one get greater every year.
I do have a list I keep taped by the front door to scan quickly if I feel a certain costume has crossed a line.
(Now might be a good time to make this public apology to all Hobos for the years as a child I took this costume upon me to reap my share of goodies. I am living with that guilt everyday since I realized, in my early fifties, that I needed to feel guilty and be remorseful.)
What Halloween will bring this year, I can’t tell. But I will make sure to keep my eyes and ears open for any late minute changes and concerns about this important day.
You can be certain that there’ll be no shenanigans at our house.

Brendan is the author of “The Flatlander Chronicles” and “Best Of A F.O.O.L. In New Hampshire” available at BrendanTSmith.com. His latest book “I Only Did It For The Socks and Other Tales of Aging” will be published in early 2020.