[2022-10-31] Happy Halloween

Today, my mom and I reminisced about Halloween when I was a kid. Because we lived in the country, trick-or-treating involved driving by car from farmhouse to farmhouse. The treats were often generous, as each home in the country received far fewer kids than homes in town. We would pile into the car, sweating behind our plastic masks with a single tiny air hole in the middle of our mouths, and small almond-shaped eyes.

Some of the treats we received stood out in my mind, such as the brownies one person offered us (I guess we were supposed to eat them on the spot). On another occasion, we arrived at the home of an elderly gentleman who had forgotten that it was Halloween. He gave each of us a dime in lieu of a treat.

In elementary school, I learned the "Tonight is Halloween" song, whose lyrics were very simple but also very sticky:

Tonight is Halloween
Tonight is Halloween
So ride, you witches, through the sky
Ride your broomsticks, ride them high
Tonight...is Halloween!

Once that song got into my head, it stayed there for days. (Do you know it?)

When I had kids of my own, I was happy to take them trick-or-treating, except one year when it was rainy and cold. My kids had gone to Tae Kwon Do earlier in the evening. When we got home at about 7:00 PM, I tried to bribe my way out of walking around my neighbourhood in the rain. I said, "Tomorrow, I will buy you any candy you want and as much as you want if we can just go home and skip trick-or-treating this year." No dice. The kids wanted to go, so out we went.

I leave you with a heartwarming story of Halloween and inclusion. Today, the CBC shared the story of five-year-old Easton Oetting who is unable to walk on his own because of a genetic disorder but is nevertheless able to take part in Halloween, thanks to his creative parents. In previous years, Easton has been Grampa from the movie Up, a hot dog vendor, and a skid steer operator. This year, Easton is trick-or-treating as an Edmonton Oilers zamboni driver. The costumes his parents create for him are elaborate and fitting, reflective of his abilities. How beautiful is that?

Happy Halloween everyone.