Another Times Have Changed Observation

 

Every October ends with Halloween, a tradition that grew in the mid-19th century as Irish and Scottish immigrants introduced it to the United States. By the late 1800s, Halloween's public festivities expanded, eventually becoming the community-oriented and commercial holiday we know today.

Halloween was invented to scare away evil spirits on All Hallow’s Eve (October 31) the day before All Saints Day (November 1), but by the 50’s, Halloween was less of a serious matter and more of a time to enjoy the fall. In south Florida, fall meant temperatures below 90 degrees and on rare occasions a drop into temps approaching Florida winter of low 70s or even high 60s.

As a child I always looked forward to the unchastised gluttony of devouring sugary treats. It was a time to dress up like a cowboy, vampire, ghost, or whatever character might be easy to mimic with stuff from around the house. Store-bought costumes would come much later.

Sue and I have lived in our neighborhood for 40 years now and have seen a transition away from Halloween I knew as a child. We used to be the neighborhood “Haunted House” as we would go all out with the decorations. At the pinnacle of our Halloween decorating frenzy, our yard was transformed into a cemetery with a faux wrought iron fence complete with a cemetery sign archway over the sidewalk entrance. Our yard was littered with tombstones with funny epitaphs and occasionally a life-size scary body emerging from his grave. A fog machine added to the atmosphere while haunting Halloween sounds and screams and music would be playing from my open office window. Rubber spiders hung from above and children would be greeted by Sue dressed as a witch. I would hide behind a barrier near the door in a monster costume and would blast unsuspecting kids with compressed air.

Back then it was not unusual to have over 150 children and teens visit from our neighborhood and surrounding developments. Over time, the crowds dwindled as did our ability to decorate for a one-day event. Families moved, the neighborhood grew older, as did the “cemetery” caretakers. The children we watched grow up sometimes returned with their own children and would share memories of their visits to the “Haunted House.”

While we still put up a Halloween decoration on the door and leave the porch light on, last year’s visitor count had dwindled to one as Sue and I spent the next several weeks assaulting our A1C blood profiles with leftover candy. Apparently, the door-to-door Halloween trick-or-treat tradition has been replaced with organized parties that are deemed safer.

While I miss the traditional Halloween event, I have to admit that I was not looking forward to my first trick-or-treater dressed as an ICE agent. I will live with my pictures and memories of a time that has passed.