Trick or Treat

It's one of my favorite times of the year.  The fall weather, the leaves changing colors, the cooler temperatures, the ghouls and goblins and of course the pumpkin carving.  That time of the year when you can dress up however you want and no one will look at you weird.  Doesn't matter if you want to be your favorite super hero for the day or a princess it's perfectly normal and actually kinda cool.  Growing up I always chose a costume with a mask and by the time I made it to the end of the sidewalk it was quite hot and uncomfortable, but to remove it would mean you wouldn't get the full effect that was my costume, so the mask remained.

I never quite understood the chant of 'trick or treat smell my feet, give me something good to eat' because the only thing we were after was candy, lots of candy and more candy please, and thank you.  The amount of candy we would collect was unbelievable.  It was almost too much to enjoy.  My parents would inspect the candy and make sure it was safe to eat, no open wrappers or anything that looked suspicious.  Afterwards my mom would let me have a few pieces, and then she put the candy away which of course brought on the crocodile tears and confusion as to why I couldn't just keep it under my pillow in case of emergencies.  Seemed like a version of torture at the time but I now know they were just keeping us safe.

So many memories of that fall day and the excitement it brought to dress up for a few hours and just be a kid.  I can't think of this day without instantly smiling.  

With all the challenges of 2020 parents have come up with creative and different ways to celebrate the event while remaining safe.  From pumpkin carving at home, celebrating in your own neighborhood, having a virtual party, to planning an all day dress up complete with Halloween music and themed movies to keep that spark going for your children there are so many ways to make it completely safe and fun.

​Whatever you choose to do, have fun with it, be safe and just be a kid again!  I promise it's perfectly normal and it will actually make you feel good.

Happy Halloween 🎃

~AJ