Happy Howloween

There was a full moon on Halloween, the clocks fell back an hour, and the threat of the Corona Virus loomed large. Sounds like a trifecta backdrop for a low budget horror film. Halloween 2020. It was different, but I’m glad it happened.

I’ve always enjoyed this dress up and ask for treats day. The red, orange and yellow leaves warm the soul as they dance in the cool fall wind. Buckets of candy dwindle while they sit, waiting for visitors, other than their owners. Mischief fills the air as kids become the monsters who frighten them or the superheroes that save them. Just pretending.

I miss helping my boys put their costumes together. Over the years they posed as pirates, vampires and ninjas. They donned Scream masks, fake blood, scars and face paint. We had a bucketful of weapons in the playroom, as they always needed one to complete the costume, but found it too cumbersome to carry as they asked for treats. I think my favorite pretends they did were the banana, a bottle of ketchup, Abraham Lincoln, and a friendly (not fiendly) clown.

Thank you for indulging me with the bumble bee costume, Dwight. You tolerated the charade with dignity, inspiring laughter and head pats from many. I know you can’t pretend to be a bee, but the rest of us can pretend for you. It suits you. Bumblebees are a little bottom heavy, buzzing from food source to food source. Hmm, rather hound-like, D Man.

I’m glad our neighborhood allowed Trick or Treating this year. We put our candy in sealed bags, displayed on a table 6 feet away from where we sat at the end of the driveway. We enjoyed the costumed kids parading by. Giggles and screams filled the air, as shouts of “Trick or Treat” echoed through the cul-de-sac. It was so nice to pretend that the world was normal…for just a little while.