Halloween

For many, Halloween is (or was) a night to dress-up, walk the streets going door-to-door, and trick-or-treating.  Children begin at very early ages and continue through high school in some areas.  Adults carry on the fun by throwing and attending Halloween parties. Some children attend Fall Festivals, trunk-or-treat, and city and/or church celebrations.

For me, Halloween was first and foremost my dad's birthday.  I hate that I never had a conversation with my grandparents about having a child on Halloween.  Dad liked his birthday.  In pictures of my first Halloween, he is dressed in a mask and I have on a little costume.  He walked me to the neighbors' house to trick-or-treat.

Growing up, before we could go trick-or-treating, we sang "Happy Birthday" and had cake.  Yes, it was always decorated for Halloween, and I always looked forward to it.  I was never really into the dressing up part, so Halloween was a birthday celebration for me.  When I was in college, I came home, baked a cake, and took it to him at the football stadium where he ran the clock and the press box for whatever home games there were those nights.  We sang in front of his friends and left cake and plates/plasticware for them.

While my street can be pretty spooky at night, we never had many trick-or-treaters.  On non-game nights, Dad stayed home with our cat, Blue, which was totally black, and waited for trick-or-treaters, if there were any.  Mom walked the streets with us as we gathered candy.  As an adult and as Granny aged, we would go to her house to hand out candy.  She would get as many as 500 trick-or-treaters in a night. Granny loved Halloween, seeing all the kids dressed-up, and visiting with everyone.

After Dad passed away, we spent every Halloween helping Granny. But . . . before we did that, I would get cookies or cupcakes, and I would take my niece and nephew to the cemetery.  We would sit on a blank, sing "Happy Birthday," and tell Grandpa whatever they wanted.  We didn't tell anyone what we did.  It was just for us.

This Halloween will be a little hard.  Dad isn't here.  Granny isn't here.  The kids don't live here.  Not really sure what Mom and I will do this year.

It just might include cookies or cupcakes.  :-)