Nature's Children: Halloween Fun

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It was the first week of September when I walked into Michael's only to be met by a shelf full of plastic pumpkins and a giant skeleton. My brain told me it was September, but my eyes said it was October. It was much too early for Halloween decorations, but I must admit that all those pumpkins brought back memories.

Halloween! When I was a child, it was my favorite night of the year. For months before the big night I contemplated what I would be. There were few store-bought costumes back then, so I came up with my own. One year I declared myself a "washer woman". Dressed in my mother's house dress and apron, with a dish cloth tied around my head, I carried a wash bucket which proved to be the perfect receptacle for candy. Most years I reverted to my favorite persona and dressed as a hobo. In my father's flannel shirt and work pants, with his old shoes on my feet, I stumbled along. Even though I padded the shoes with many pairs of socks, they still flopped around alarmingly. I thought that the shoe polish dabbed on my cheeks made me look authentically dirty. My father's old fishing hat completed the ensemble.

On Halloween night, as soon as it began to get dark, I'd get dressed and race to meet my friends. We were a rag-tag group. Some of us, the ghosts, wore sheets and others were in poorly fitting costumes, hastily sewn by harried mothers or pinned together by older sisters. And there I was, dressed in my parents' clothes and clumping along in adult-sized shoes. But oh, was it ever fun! Without an adult in sight, we went from house to house, knocking on doors and yelling, "Trick or treat!' And there were many treats. Back then, no one worried much about healthy snacks, and we reaped the benefits, full-sized Hersey bars, Double-Bubble bubble gum, candy corn! Being out at night was deliciously scary, but we knew we were safe. And we thoroughly enjoyed our special night, a night just for kids.

For many years Halloween remained that way. Then in 1970 there were horror stories about razor blades in apples and candy spiked with drugs. Suddenly Halloween became dangerous, too dangerous for kids without an adult nearby. Parents were afraid for their children to go door to door so they came up with other ways for kids to enjoy Halloween. I laughed out loud when I first heard the word trunk-or-treat. Halloween became a family affair. There were parties everywhere. Everyone was in costume, even the dog!

The years have gone by and I am amazed at how Halloween has continued to morph from a simple kids' celebration into a big deal. What used to be a time for kids to walk around the dark neighborhood asking for candy has turned into a monster. (No pun intended.) Stores are decorated by the end of August, with twenty-foot tall skeletons, clacking skulls and boiling cauldrons, ghostly forms that moan and, my personal favorite, witches impaled on trees. Costumes have become an expensive art form and masks are pricey too. Once folks are dressed for Halloween festivities, they look like something from a Star Wars movie, realistic, creepy and at times down-right scary. And then there are the yard decorations. My neighbor transforms his yard into a cemetery full of ghouls and ghosts. He must have invested a small fortune in celebrating Halloween, and he's not alone. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent 13.1 billion on Halloween in 2025. Yes, billion with a B!

How did this happen to such a sweet little celebration? Why have adults taken over Halloween? Experts say it's due to marketing, but they also blame the growing cultural change that makes every celebration a big deal. They have a point. Look at destination weddings, over-the-top birthday parties, graduations and showers. Then there's Christmas! We have turned everything into a huge production, and Halloween is no exception. But I think there are other reasons that adults have taken over Halloween. First of all, in a crazy world, it lets them feel like children again. But the real reason is that Halloween is just plain old-fashioned fun.