Halloween Time Again!!!

By Miriam B. Medina

Halloween is a wonderful time of year, it really is. You can prank people and get away with it. You can demand candy from strangers and make trick them if they don't pay up. You can wear fake blood and gore. Any day you can wear fake blood and gore or pretend to be a ghost or a goblin is a good day. Of course, it's always best to play it safe when Trick or Treating, especially when little ones are concerned.

1. Wear bright or reflective clothing when plundering for candy: Of course, the beauty of Halloween is that you can dress up on the macabre side of things. There's nothing quite like dressing up like a mutant ninja in all black or a zombie with some random brains falling off your skull cap, but drivers of cars and other ghouls of the night need to be able to see you and your party in the dark for safety's sake. To that end, everyone in the party should wear something bright or reflective on their person. Nothing ruins a good time like a fender bender.

2. Check candy, all of it: That's right, gone are the days wherein it was safe to eat home made cookies and popcorn balls. Too many crazy fruit loops have ruined the big cereal bowl for us all. The odds of finding a razor in a Kit Kat bar are slim, but is that a lottery you really want to take a chance on wining? Of course not. Carefully check all of the loot before you let the kids reap the rewards of their booty. We want fake blood on Halloween, not real blood.

3. Trick or Treat in groups on the day or days that your community chooses: It's more than a little sad that most communities don't actually celebrate Halloween on October 31^st by Trick or Treating on that day any more, but it's a fact of modern life. Many communities choose a day that they can best protect the public and they make plenty of announcements to let people know what day you are supposed to Trick or Treat on. It is best to heed these rules. There are also plenty of local organized parties to choose from, and if you do Trick or Treat, the larger your party, the better.

Of course, it's always best to use common sense, but especially when it comes to parading little ghouls and goblins through the streets in public in today's modern world. Gone are the days that you could egg the neighbor's house in sheer maniacal joy as a simple Halloween prank and get away with it. The judge won't buy your argument that you're a kid at heart.

Anyway, enjoy your Halloween, remember, it's a very unique holiday. Don't be scared, have fun, and beware the REAL spirits that roam the night on All Hallow's Eve!






To contact: miriammedina@earthlink.net
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