Monday, November 3, 2008

Halloween musings

This year, Matt and I were Halloween recluses. We weren't in the mood (which means that I didn't feel like putting on mascara) to go to our ward's Halloween carnival and we knew we wouldn't get trick or treaters so we turned off our lights and spent the evening together.

However, that doesn't exempt us from making some observations on Halloween.

First off, Matt works in downtown Wenatchee along "the ave" which, when he left work on Friday was lined with children getting candy from the local businesses. I say, getting candy instead of trick or treating, because from the way Matt tells it, they weren't actually saying the words, "trick or treat." He said they just mutely held out their little bags while the line moved on to the next store. Almost like a conveyor belt of children; a kind of hum emanating from the sidewalks as the whirring of the belt processes the kids down the avenue one after the other in a long stream of “gimme freebies.” To which we say, where is the work ethic in today's children?

When we were young we went to each and every house where we had to actually ring a doorbell, wait for the door to open, yell "trick or treat," stand there expectantly waiting while the man or woman commented on our outfits and asked what we were. We would excitedly answer that we were a pirate or a princess and then they would put some candy in our bags, to which we would yell our thank you's to them while running to the next house. It was a process that everyone knew and cherished.

But now, all you have to do is line up on the ave with a bag and a costume, the latter being optional, and submit to being herded along the conveyor belt along with the hundreds of other noisy children. I'm sure it's a lot easier and safer for the parents but if they don't learn how to beg for candy here what are they going to do when they enter elementary school and have to start asking their family and friends to buy random things to earn money for their school? They'll probably end up like my sister's children who just send out a mass email (sorry Megan, but I expect a phone call). Okay, this soap box has ran on a lot longer than I thought I would. Let's just say, that in my mind, trick or treating isn't trick or treating unless there are doorbells and the spoken words of "trick or treat" involved.

The second observation, which is really just a funny mental image, came when I went for a walk Saturday morning. I noticed some candy abandoned on the sidewalk and gutter and it conjured up an image of swarms of small children stumbling around the streets in a sugar-induced drunken haze after a long night of whooping it up, reminiscent of New Year's revellers fumbling around the streets in the wee hours of the morning. I imagined groups of children jumping on cars, lighting garbage cans on fire and throwing rotten eggs at homes who either didn't give out candy or didn't give out the good stuff.

And I guess if I were to pick which experience I wanted for my children, a night of unrestrained sugar-fed debauchery or a tame evening of dumbly following a line of a hundred children down a street to collect some safe candy, I would probably choose the latter. Even if it meant my children didn't get any support from their aunts and uncles because they never learned how to beg properly.

6 comments:

Michael Asay said...

It is your soapbox, and you can write as you please, but please stop publicly lambasting my children for something they know nothing about. If you have beef with your sister, take it out on her, not our innocent children.

Claudia said...

I bet 20 years from now, the kids will no longer have to move on the assembly line. Instead, the ones giving out the candy will just move down the line while the kids just stand there. That seems to be the natural progression of things, doesn't it?

Ariana said...

Totally agree with you! At our ward's trunk or treat most of the kids just conveyer belted by, open bag and closed mouthed. Annoying!! Then they complained because I gave them "weird" candy and many asked if they could choose something else. "Nope." I said. Actually, a few of the gripier ones got one roll of Smarties if they complained about my weird candy (mango jelly cups -- available at any asian grocery, and terribly addicting!).

Sara said...

Matt says Mango jelly cups are awesome! It's too bad those stinky kids don't appreciate good sweets. My nephew still maintains that candy from Walmart is better than the candy at Fred Meyer. "They must put something extra in it," he says.

The StaceNeedle said...

girl, you totally contradict yourself...and I love it. I bet you're jealous that I was cruella de vil for halloween. Awesome costume!

Deanna said...

ROTFLOL!!! Haha Sara you crack me up!!!!