Friday, October 31, 2003
Happy Halloween!
My favourite holiday is here! And it's a bee-yootiful day, sunny, mild -- and the coloured leaves are still on the trees, so the world look fabulous.
My kids both had parties today at their respective schools (pre-school in the case of the little one). They wore costumes and I hope they have fun. I was so excited for them. But tonight's the main event, trick-or-treating.
We live in a great neighbourhood, in every way. It's very kid-oriented, with loads of young families and four elementary schools within a 7-minute walk. The streets are wide and lined with enormous old trees, sidewalks are wide, and there are parks everywhere. Kids play in big groups out on the street. People know each other because our kids all go to the same schools and play in the same parks. It's a lot like where I grew up, but way cooler (in a way) because it's only a ten-minute drive or half-hour public-transit ride from the center of downtown.
And it's a great neighbourhood for trick-or-treating, of course. Just about every house has some decorations up, and some go all out and create elaborate vignettes that are truly inspired. And they're not stingy with the candy, no sir!
So, needless to say I'm looking forward to this evening, for myself but mostly for my kids. They'll have lots of fun. Isn't there something wonderful about trick-or-treating? It's a time when you can go to anyone's door, and they'll welcome you and give you candy, but more importantly, give you smiles and a feeling of community.
Even if I didn't love the decorations, costumes, cool weather, jack o' lanterns, I would love Halloween just for the fact that trick-or-treating still exists. To hell with "safe Halloweens" where the kids wander around some auditorium and get candy from various kiosks. It's the time to wander around your neighbourhood and ring your neighbours' doorbells and feel good about being outside at night, at home where you live.
My favourite holiday is here! And it's a bee-yootiful day, sunny, mild -- and the coloured leaves are still on the trees, so the world look fabulous.
My kids both had parties today at their respective schools (pre-school in the case of the little one). They wore costumes and I hope they have fun. I was so excited for them. But tonight's the main event, trick-or-treating.
We live in a great neighbourhood, in every way. It's very kid-oriented, with loads of young families and four elementary schools within a 7-minute walk. The streets are wide and lined with enormous old trees, sidewalks are wide, and there are parks everywhere. Kids play in big groups out on the street. People know each other because our kids all go to the same schools and play in the same parks. It's a lot like where I grew up, but way cooler (in a way) because it's only a ten-minute drive or half-hour public-transit ride from the center of downtown.
And it's a great neighbourhood for trick-or-treating, of course. Just about every house has some decorations up, and some go all out and create elaborate vignettes that are truly inspired. And they're not stingy with the candy, no sir!
So, needless to say I'm looking forward to this evening, for myself but mostly for my kids. They'll have lots of fun. Isn't there something wonderful about trick-or-treating? It's a time when you can go to anyone's door, and they'll welcome you and give you candy, but more importantly, give you smiles and a feeling of community.
Even if I didn't love the decorations, costumes, cool weather, jack o' lanterns, I would love Halloween just for the fact that trick-or-treating still exists. To hell with "safe Halloweens" where the kids wander around some auditorium and get candy from various kiosks. It's the time to wander around your neighbourhood and ring your neighbours' doorbells and feel good about being outside at night, at home where you live.
# posted by becca : 8:37 AM
