Trick or Treat?

    Today was a wonderful Halloween despite the fact that it has gotten very cold, very quickly here in New York City.  It is hard to believe that, just last week, we had some days where the temperature was in the mid 70s and now it is time to take out the winter coats.  In any case, we were ready to partake in the festivities and were prepared well in advance with the boys’ costumes, the Halloween candy to give out to the Trick or Treaters, and a Jack O’ Lantern that we carved together as a family.  The boys decided that they wanted to be Star Wars characters this year and I was able to get them the exact costumes that they wanted by ordering them well in advance.  Since my nephew also wanted to wear a Star Wars costume, it turned into somewhat of a family theme and the kids all looked great with all of their matching Star Wars accessories.

    I was able to score some great candy to give out to the kids this year and I eagerly sat in front of my house with a huge bag of assorted chocolate, lollipops, candies, and other goodies waiting for all of the little boys and girls to dazzle me with this year’s coolest costumes.  While I did get to see some of that, I unfortunately saw some other things that I really did not need to see and that concerned me quite a bit.  Let me begin by saying that it is ridiculous how scantily clad some of these teenage girls were in their costumes.  I don’t have daughters but, I cannot imagine that their mothers gave them their seal of approval as they left the house with everything popping out of their clothes.  Some of the costumes seemed more like lingerie or bedroom attire than like Halloween costumes.  It was really inappropriate and embarrassing and I really had to bite my tongue to keep myself from telling them exactly how I felt.

    The next thing that I had an issue with is the fact that so many of the parents were carrying candy bags for themselves.  I have no problem purchasing and giving out candy to children but I definitely have a problem with parents having to nerve to hold bags out for themselves just to take advantage of the fact that free candy is being given out.  If you have a 6 month old baby in a stroller, it is quite obvious that the candy you are collecting is to fill your face when we all know the baby cannot eat candy and probably doesn’t even have teeth yet.  You would not believe how many parents were out collecting candy while pushing around strollers with sleeping babies.  That is just absolutely shameless to me.

    Lastly, I couldn’t help but notice how many teenagers were out trick or treating tonight.  Now, normally, I don’t have a problem with this because I think it is important for young people to hang on to their innocence and youth for as long as possible.  However, I do have a problem with you walking around without a costume or a candy bag and simply walking door to door and just putting your hand out for candy.  If you have a full beard or a permit to drive, you probably should not be walking around asking for candy on Halloween, I’m just saying…

    All of these experiences have led me to believe that people have this sense of entitlement when it comes to Halloween.  Sure, we all enjoy eating candy and dressing up but let’s remember who this holiday is really for, the kids.  This holiday is not an opportunity for adults to use their infant children to get free candy nor is it an opportunity for teenagers, who suddenly remember that they are kids, to take advantage and collect free candy too.  Also, it is definitely not an opportunity for young girls to forget that they have mirrors in their house and to walk about half naked wearing inappropriate costumes.  I, for one, was shocked and appalled.

    I did learn some important lessons this Halloween…The first lesson I learned was that I will not be spending as much money on candy next year to give out to ungrateful Trick or Treaters.  My Sister In Law’s mother actually gave me a good idea, she said I should have one bag of “good” candy for all of the kids and one bag of “cheap” candy for all of the undesirables.  This is a great idea and I will definitely be doing that next year.  Another lesson that I learned is that I can avoid going blind from seeing too much skin by finishing our Halloween activities earlier in the day.  It seems that the later it gets, the less clothing some of these young girls were wearing.  I will definitely avoid this altogether next year by bringing the kids out earlier and finishing up earlier.  Unfortunately, the song said it best because the freaks really do come out at night.

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