Reflecting Upon October 31

Hello, dear readers, and welcome back to my silly little corner of cyberspace. You've arrived for a very special post: number 800. Yep, after seven years of operating the MSX, I've finally hit 800 posts. I just wonder how long it'll take me to hit the magic number of 1000.

Anyway, I might as well make the most of this milestone. So while I'm here and I have your attention (hopefully), I figure I'll go back and talk about my experiences during Halloween last week. No, I don't mean how I saw Zack and Miri Make a Porno, because I've already talked about that. Instead, I wanted to discuss trick or treating.

Unfortunately, I'm too old too old to go trick or treating without it being really creepy. It's a bummer, I know. But since my forced retirement from the game, I've started helping my uncle hand out candy at his house. It's been a lot of fun, but I'm noticing more and more that the times, they are a-changin'. And by that, I mean that it seems that kids just don't take Halloween as seriously as they did when I was little. It's bad enough that about half of them couldn't be bothered to say "trick or treat" or "thank you," but there were a sizable amount that were wearing outfits that barely qualify as costumes at all. It was just their regular clothes with some cheap mask, or maybe a little face paint. And there were two kids who weren't even wearing costumes at all. They just showed up wearing T-shirts with "Happy Halloween" scribbled on them with a magic marker.

I'll admit that my neighborhood isn't what you would call "financially blessed." Just about everyone around here is either a farmer or a factory worker, so it's not like we're upper class or anything. But does that mean parents and kids can't afford to put at least a little effort into Halloween costumes? Or am I the only person in this town who gives a crap about Halloween anymore?

I will admit to seeing some really good costumes, though. One little girl had a great Supergirl costume, while an adult acquaintance of mine was helping her cousins trick or treat in a fantastic Phantom of the Opera outfit. She had a great Jack Sparrow costume last year, so at least I can count on somebody to have a spiffy costume every year.

I don't know, maybe it's just me. But if when you can't even put forth the effort to half-ass it, why bother at all? If I see some kid with no costume next year, I'm going to make him or her do something to earn the candy. Sing a song, tell a joke, do a magic trick, throw down some breakdancing moves out in the front yard, drink from the fire hose, anything they can think of to get that candy in their basket. Otherwise, no dice. Sorry, kids, but that's the way it's gotta be.