Tomorrow is Halloween, a holiday that seems to expand in its scope every year. Trick-or-treating on Halloween, along with stuffing your face and watching football with family on Thanksgiving, may be the two most singular American cultural experiences we have. Certainly, the exchange students we’ve come to know over the years enjoy these holidays, and even if Halloween is recognized in their home countries, it is nothing like it is here. In fact, it seems that it’s nothing like it used to be right here either.

When I was growing up, the kids certainly enjoyed Halloween, as we toured the neighborhood filling our bags with candy and reciting, “Trick or treat for UNICEF” to collect pennies for less fortunate kids overseas. By the time we were 11 or 12, though, we considered ourselves too old to be out in costumes, although stealing part of the take from younger siblings was not frowned upon, at least not by our friends.

Now, however, the neighborhoods are filled with kids who can drive from subdivision to subdivision, and whose beards might be part of their masks, or part of their faces. I don’t mind that, as long as they make some effort to dress up. But if a teenager comes by with nothing but a pillowcase to fill with candy, that becomes less like holiday celebration and more like extortion.

For those a few years older, Halloween has become a big party holiday, with special events in bars and clubs along with private get-togethers. And this year, it should be especially interesting in Jacksonville, as Halloween coincides with the annual Florida-Georgia football game, long known as “the world’s biggest outdoor cocktail party!” Add in costumes, other than the usual Gators and Bulldogs, and things should be very interesting in downtown Jax.

Commercial efforts, of course, have also expanded for the season (referring to the Halloween season, not the Christmas season, although some retailers have already jumped the gun on that one – no surprise there). It seems that neighborhoods have more Halloween decorations than ever before, and they’re getting more and more elaborate. Don’t get me wrong – I love to see skeletons emerging from someone’s front lawn, and Halloween lights that, perhaps with a slight change in color, can stay on the houses and serve for the holidays to follow.

It’s also fun to see the littlest kids, accompanied by parents, making the rounds. Some of those kids look like they don’t know what to make of it all, and may be too scared to recognize that it’s all for the purpose of stocking their personal candy stashes. This leads potentially to dentist appointments and weight problems, of course, so maybe they should be scared!

For several years, we’ve joined with the neighbors, sitting in a driveway with our several bowls of candy, surrounding a nice (contained) fire, and enjoying our own cold beverages and snacks. It makes for a very nice evening, especially since Halloween in Florida is a lot different than what we used to experience in New York. I specifically remember one Halloween, perhaps in 1992 or 1993, when we got 8 inches of snow in Syracuse …  nice costume, kid – boots, parka, mittens, scarf, etc. Here, it’s usually warm and pleasant in late October, so giving candy to the kids, alongside our neighbors, is a perfect way to spend this holiday. In summary, we’re looking forward to a boo-tiful Halloween.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 11:29 am and is filed under Al. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.