All Hallows Eve

While hanging with the other parents in the middle of the street, while our goblins ran house to house begging candy, I mentioned it reminded me of the movie E.T.  Sounds of laughter, porch lights illuminating the road, chill in the air. 

But... it wasn't like E.T.  It wasn't children running around in sheets and homemade costumes.  It was different.  Amplified. 

I remember all those times when our parents compared our cushy easy life to theirs.  I remember all the times my mom said "I wish we had that," or started a sentence with "when I was a kid..."

Now I'm that parent.   When we were kids, our store bought, fancy costumes were a decorated plastic apron with a molded mask that lacked breathability.  We trick or treated in our own neighborhoods and were happy to get a few handfuls of candy.  Halloween decorations were paper cats and ghosts.  Our jack-o-lanterns just had a face, with an actual *gasp* fiery candle inside them.

Now, there are entire stores dedicated to finding that way overpriced perfect costume that looks like it's off a Broadway stage.  People give out full size candy bars, gift certificates, and pinata prizes.  Children are no longer capable of carrying their own weight of candy.  And the decorations... it's like being in the haunted mansion at Disneyland-  with live, costumed performers to scare and/or greet you. 

And someday... my kids will be telling the story about how it was when they were kids...