Halloween 2004

Ah, Halloween. This above all others is the one holiday made for children. We all know the routine – kids get to dress up in outlandish costumes and run about the neighborhood demanding candy from neighbors. One of the great things about it is how it places no demands on children. Santa requires you stay on his good list if you want Christmas gifts, but on Halloween even the bad kids get candy. It’s not a privilege to be earned; it’s an entitlement of all children. The streets in our neighborhood teemed with children moving in packs from house to house. We saw costumes of every design: the classic Raggedy Ann, the clichéd Scream guy, the trendy Spider-Man. Sheridan dressed as a cat, and Sabrina was a witch.

Aside: I miss the cheesy old Ben Cooper masks & costumes; remember how the rubber band on the mask would pull loose from the staple and snap you in the ear? Or the vinyl costumes that tied in the back and looked nothing like the body of the character you were supposed to be? I think I posted a link about that earlier, but here it is again: http://www.retrocrush.com/costumes/

Lisa and I followed Sheridan and Sabrina as they went running from house to house. They came out with a really good haul—we took a break at one point so they could rest and empty their baskets. Sheridan took the opportunity to change into a Princess costume and while she was upstairs I appropriated her Special Darks. Probably the funniest thing that happened was when the girls went up to one house where a costumed man jumped out at them and yelled “boo!” They didn’t move; they just stood there with their bags out as if to say, “We’re not scared. Please give us candy now.” Lisa laughed and blamed it on their being desensitized by TV. The girls told us later they were scared, but not enough to run away. At another point, a black cat sauntered up and lay down on the sidewalk. We walked right by it and it didn’t move (unusual for a cat!).

Nora and Joseph stayed at the house to hand out candy and watch Taxi Driver. It was the first time either of them had seen it. Nora’s opinion: it was slow but Travis Bickle is an interesting character to watch. I have to agree.