Happy H A double hockey sticks oween

Well a heck of a lot of things have gone by in this one month. So, in the spirit of curiosity I would like you to ask me any question and I will answer the best way I can. You can ask anything…all the way from did you eat apple sauce this month to how many expired books you have from the library this month.

But, since today is Halloween I will recount my experiences from previous years.

First and foremost, my family actually arrived here in America on Halloween. I think it’s been about 17-18 years now. We arrived on Halloween night and while we were unpacking these kids walked up to our door dressed as a mummy, a witch, and a ferret (or weasel), and we didn’t know what to do as they asked for candy. Actually, no such thing happened, because of the small neighborhood we live in (we only have four houses). Also, they do celebrate Halloween in Canada but I have no memory of anything before three years old.

As a Christian, I don’t particularly celebrate it because of the association to spirits, the dead and the like. But, I do like to go out randomly and gather candy. I’ve always viewed the day as ridiculously commercial. But, I went Trick-or Treating with my brother and sister. My mom would taxi us around neighborhoods and we would knock on doors with Stop and Shop paper bags in our hands to receive candy. I always felt it was unusual and exciting that on this day of the year, you can randomly walk up to anyone’s house, ring the door bell (sometimes lights turn on and a dog barks), and receive candy….for free. The thing was Trick-or-Treating (more like treating because I never really pulled any tricks), was more about the fun of getting the candy, and less about how much and what kind of candy I got. A few months later I would find my bag of candy, filled with dust and cobwebs, underneath my bed. I was never a huge candy fanatic.

But, I recall gathering candy with my sisters’ school friends and some of my friends at church. We had a anti-Halloween party at my friend’s house where we would be wrestling, jumping, and playing games on the Super Nintendo. Also, we would get free candy. But as said before, it’s all about the high or excitement from getting the candy.

I attended two Halloween parties by some of my school friends, but they were a bit lame because I didn’t really know anyone. I dressed up as a Ninja that year with black pants wrapped around my face. When people asked me what I was I would say I was a Ninja (the pants kept on unraveling). At the end of the night, after the apple bobbing, and prize for best costume, we went on this haunted hay ride which was enjoyable because we rode on this tractor. We were walking on this path near a big pile leaves when this guy just emerges and screams. It wasn’t really scary to me but the girls just screamed and ran.

Years later I started trick or treating with my friend Colin. I no longer dressed up as anything but a 14 year old boy (that’s what I told everyone). We would walk past this stop sign and he would silly string it, which he did every year apparently.

So will I ever go trick or treating with my kids? Yes, I would. Did I grow up to be a Wicca practicing, devil worshiping, spirit delivering, guy? No I didn’t. But if Halloween would cause you to sin in any way, don’t do it. If that includes the greed for getting candy…gluttony, your need to prank houses (I think that’s a character issue), or you like to dress-up trashy, that’s the real issues.

I’m dressed as the Joker today, but I’m a little too old to be getting candy that I don’t eat anyways.

Happy  H A double hockey sticks oween 

Note: Remember to ask a question