# Halloween Memory - It's just not worth it!



## GrimFinger (Oct 20, 2014)

My favorite Halloween memory of my son is from a few years back (he's nine years old, now). He was probably four or five years old, at the time. I think that he was four.

Anyway, I had tired of taking my son to church-sponsored "trunk-or-treat" crap, as it just wasn't the same as actual trick-or-treating. So, not knowing where to take him, only knowing that I wanted to take him to a neighborhood where we didn't know anybody, we drove around a bit, and finally happened upon a housing sub-division that looked like as good a spot as any to start (after a couple of false starts at other housing sub-divisions, first). Coincidentally, enough, we have returned to that same sub-division every year, since then.

Overall, there was some mild Halloween decorating. But, it worked good, since I didn't really want the Hell scared out of my toddler-sized son. One thing that I noticed, this year, was how much quicker it was to trick-or-treat, now that he has the legs of a nine year old, compared to the legs of a four or five year old. The distance of the various streets seems much shorter, now, compared to when we first started taking him trick-or-treating.

Every year, there's been one house in that sub-division which crafts a respectable yard haunt. You notice it, as you approach it, from further on down the street. You can't help but to notice it.

Being new to trick-or-treating from the perspective of a father, instead of that kid who dumped his candy down the side of a wet, grassy hill all those many decades ago, I chose to emulate how things were done in the days of old. My son walked hand-in-hand with his mother, as they went door to door. Me? I drove the car along at a snail's pace, slightly behind (which sucks, by the way, for any prospective parents-to-be that happen along in the future and read this).

That one house that decorated more than any of the rest, one of people there that was dressed up was about eleven feet tall. They were on stilts, I suspect, but a four year old child doesn't even know what stilts are. I can only imagine what it must have looked like to my son, at that tender age.

Anyway, to get the candy that they were passing out to trick-or-treaters, you had to make your way past that tall ass creature. My son stopped at the driveway's edge, and told his mother, *"Mama, it's just not worth it!"*

Now *THAT* was Halloween! Not walking from car trunk to car trunk in some churchyard, in some watered down hypocritical version of Halloween.

That one moment in time, when my son told my wife that, was the core essence of Halloween come to life. A strange house populated by complete strangers, one that gave my son true pause. In that moment, my son was a true believer.

He learned the truth, that day - that Halloween is about more than just candy. He learned that, sometimes, the candy just isn't worth it - just not worth what must be endured, what must be faced up to and met and contended with.

That tall, scary man. Yeah, it's better to just go on living, no matter how tasty that candy from that particular house might have been.

Risk versus reward. My son weighed what he might receive, against what he might have to endure, and he made what I felt was the right decision. He showed good judgment, and in the process, he gave me a Halloween memory that will last me a lifetime.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Great story and well told! I think Halloween can teach kids a lot of lessons; not all strangers are bad people, scary things can be fun, and things we fear most can be overcome. Reading this made me reflect back to when my own kids were TOT age and trudging around with them from house to house. A nice way to start the day!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

That would have made for a great video moment

When we have young kids get too scared to come up to our door, I always take some time talking to them at the end of our driveway (apparently that's a safe zone:jol. I tell them that our ghost (an FCG in an upstairs window) is friendly and just waving at them, the werewolf is too lazy to get up and do anything, the grave grabber is just hoping someone will give him candy, and whatever else non-scary that comes to mind. We want the little ones to have fun and I will step in immediately if I see a parent trying to drag a screaming child up to our door.

Now, as far as those 12, 13, 14 year old kids and up, well, that's a different matter....:googly:


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## akalerb (Sep 8, 2010)

LOL Roxy...tweens and teens are fair game!!!

We have a haunt in our garage, and we always run it two ways. Scary and "less scary" This year we had 14 actors in our haunt. The scary way involves every one of them doing their best to scare the bejeebers out of you. The "less scary" way means none of the actors will move. It's still plenty scary and creepy, but at least no one will jump out at you.


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## tjc67 (Jul 28, 2013)

That's how I felt about the houses that backed up to the cemetery(real one) in my old neighborhood when I was a kid. The candy just wasn't worth getting that close to a real graveyard at night for a couple of years.


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

Great story, thank you for that....I needed it!


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

Your son seem to be very perceptive at so tender an age. And I agree about the whole "trunk or treat" thing. The death knell of Halloween.


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

Grimfinger, I loved this story. I smiled reading it and reflected on a memory of my own too.


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## booberry crunch (Aug 14, 2014)

Great story, GrimFinger! I lol'd reading it. Thank you!


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## WingThing (Nov 14, 2014)

Yes I agree Thank You for the story.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Yes, a wonderful story, one that makes you wish you could have been back in the shadows watching. A true Halloween moment, one to be remembered.


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## Spookilicious mama (Mar 14, 2015)

*Love this story! I have plenty of Halloween memories and like the rest of us here I made sure my sons who are now in their 20's had plenty of memories as well. As they got older we became the house that now gives plenty of memories to the next generation providing a Haunted House walk through with a yard haunt, music, actors, scares the works. Im hoping my sons continue the traditions with their children someday and provide memories to all that dare to walk up that driveway *


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