* * * Spook - a - Ween 2008 * * *

It never ceases to surprise me how this community turns out for Trick-or-treating. There are thoughts and opinions that I’ve always had….the whole red-neck community that we live in…yet the combined effort of so many people is a bit moving.

Though there was a share of Trick-or-treating in my childhood – I even won a bicycle in the paper machete E.T. costume one year….there was a long period of time that we didn’t acknowledge Halloween because of the evil that surrounds the holiday. The whole holiday was considered a taboo and was ran from.

That was until, much to my horror, I gave birth to my youngest daughter. How in the world could God allow an event that would be remembered, nigh, even celebrated, on such a night as this? There was no way she was waiting; she was born at 7:30am. She was coming out and that was the way it was going to be.

I would ponder over this beautiful child and wonder why God would allow her birthday to be such a hideous day. Oh…this is when God taught quiet the lesson to me. All days are good, He created them. Halloween didn’t start off as fright night; it was actually a Christian holiday, in honor and celebration of the Saints. It originated as All Saints’ Eve. And as with most Christian holidays, it was morphed by the pagans into something other than what it started.

Knowing this, yes, we still dress up and Trick-or-treat. This year was no different and it was such an enjoyable event. It really is cute, there were supposed to be Minnie and Mickey, but one of the friends had gotten grounded. They had been working on this costume idea for a couple weeks.

Each one of the children have to decide what they are going for Halloween. There’s no common sense in us spending money on a costume that is going to be worn for a mere 4 hours. Wedding dresses are worn longer. The deal is that I will buy the face paint, you have to put together the costume.

This is the first year that the boy was really aware of what was going on. He was a complete wild animal. Everyone around us knew his name, it was constantly being yelled.

He was the first of our group (after we finally got him to quit cutting in line) to make it up to the houses. At least he would say thank you and he would come back screaming and speeding off to the next house. This wouldn’t be so bad but like I said, the entire community turned out. There were costumes on every living being from dogs to babies, to teens to moms to grand-moms.

The best décor was probably the house with the witch out front stirring her brew. If you stood near her to study, she would call you out by your custom. A miniature Harry Pottery jumped back four feet and with wide eyes exclaimed, “SHE KNOWS WHO I AM……!” It was classic.

There was one house with this gross goblin in the front yard. The person in the costume stood still enough that it could be mistaken as a decoration. Up goes our boy and it turns with such controlled moves…we still wondered. Till it spoke. He came tearing through the crowd back to us.

There was one fellow dressed up as Michael Meyers. The size of this guy was perfect and he even had a working chainsaw, minus the chain. He’s start up the chain saw and people would run, most giggling.

This fellow was a father to one of the kids that goes to school with our Minnie Mouse. Every time we turned around he was there. Gave me the feeling the grim reaper had hired a relative to find those that were owed him.

At the point where our son gathered his candy, he then climbs up with these other costumed characters and announces, “Hey! I’m batmat. Who are you? See, I can fly!” And off he goes from the side of the house into the yard. Yes….the crowd around us sucked in their breath as well.

I’ve heard of flaming pumpkins and I would have just loved to have done one this year so to have witnessed one was pretty neat.

After we went through the main section of town, we brought our crew, excited and giggling about the costumes they saw, back to our own little neighborhood. Here our son literally lost his ever loving mind.

He would go to one house, come screaming across the yard, “I GOT THE CANDY! I GOT THE CANDY!” put the candy in the bucket and go tearing off to the next house. We got to laughing so hard about it. His sisters, almost in the street laughing, couldn’t keep up with him.

Bubs’ first year to carve a pumpkin.