Halloween Up!

I can't stop eating Tootsie Rolls. I never, ever have candy in the house unless it's Halloween, so now that it's here I can't quit gorging on it. I don't even share it with Matt or the kids and just horde it until I've got to yank out the bag of candy on Halloween Day. By then, I've probably eaten half the bag myself. Well, now you know why I don't keep candy in the house....

We've got the house all Halloweened up this year, but the neighborhood has only 35 houses and just a handful of kids, so we don't know what to expect. We've only lived in this house about 6 months, so we have not yet witnessed Halloween here yet. Just one other house on my block has decorations. Hmmm...what a bunch of old poopers!

In our previous neighborhood in South Charlotte, Halloween was quite the spectacle. Every house was dressed up to the hilt for the holiday, and there was one house that was a particular huge attraction with people coming for miles to see it for both Christmas and Halloween. (It's on Long Cove Drive in Providence Country Club right off Tom Short if you're so inclined to check it out). This particular house has a great southern styled porch that lends itself well to spookiness and drama. The fog machine going wild doesn't hurt either.

If you didn't buy your fright decor two months ago, you're pretty much lost. Halloween is a fairly significant thing here in the south, and folks go all out and starting buying up all the good stuff months before. I learned this the hard way when I visited Target and Wal-mart two weeks before Halloween last year, and there was hardly a thing left. So, I made sure to get my shopping done early this year.

In the northeast, Halloween pretty much died in the 1970's after the whole razor blade and pins in the candy thing. I was thrilled to see the holiday had serious energy behind it here in Charlotte, as at least my kids will get to experience it the way I did as a child before the morons went and killed it.

Kids even get to wear costumes at some schools here. That was totally verboten in NJ when we left because we were advised that there might be some religious differences where some kids didn't participate in it. So, to be fair to everyone, they just nix the whole thing. I totally think that sucks and is completely ridiculous. I mean, if Halloween isn't your bag, then by all means exercise your right to not dress up. I think people are way too hung up on being proper and trying to include everyone. This is America, and you have every right to say no if you're not interested in being part of something. It's your right to not participate.

For example, in the northeast no one says "Merry Christmas." You say "Happy Holidays" instead so as not to offend anyone. Here in the south, there was a big movement last year to encourage people to get over it. People took back the ownership of saying Merry Christmas. I mean, if you're not Christian, isn't it easy to say something like: "Thanks, but I'm Jewish."

We're so worried about offending people that we either don't say anything or water it down. I'm not saying it's right to assume someone celebrates Christmas or Halloween or whatever, but we shouldn't feel compelled to be all-inclusive every time either. I would be thrilled to have my kid learn about a variety of holiday customs from all different faiths and religions, and I'm opened minded enough to accept that there's more than one way to open a candy wrapper.

Speaking of candy...there goes another Tootsie Roll.

Happy Halloween people!