Admit it…Halloween is fun. When the kids were little, I didn't allow anything "scary". Now, looking back, maybe Buzz being "Donald Trump" in the second grade, walking around and telling his classmates, "You're Fired" could be construed as scary! No Regrets. How do you know when your kids are "too old"? I used to tell my boys, that if they had a proper costume, they could go until they left for college. Heck, with T being allergic to peanuts, more Reeses for me. Ultimately, I am pretty sure he went as a junior as a prisoner, complete with gold chains (do they allow that in prison?). Honestly, it was all in good fun, and if he made one of our neighbors laugh, I was all for that. We had such a close, amazing neighborhood. At one point, I decided to buy full size candy bars. In all honesty, it was to impress the kids. Practically, it was easier for me to estimate the amount of candy I would need, knowing they only took one. When they come and take handfuls, and you live in Highlands Ranch, CO., you run out of candy. Unfortunately for me, the Lasater family took my prideful self and undermined my efforts (haha!!). My boys joyfully came in one Halloween and showed me not a full size candy bar, but a SUPER-SIZED candy bar! The Holy Grail of all CANDY experiences on Halloween!! Foiled Again! We literally would have vans full of kids from poorer neighborhoods come year after year. It was amazing, and if I could put a smile on someone's face, it was ALL worth it. I figured that if a mom had the courage to ring the doorbell with a newborn baby in her arms and say, "Trick or Treat", she probably needed the candy WAY more than I did.
As the kids got older, we resorted to dressing up the dog. Sad but true. There are much fewer rings on the doorbell in Boulder, CO. We fondly remember the "mall crawl" from the 80's on Pearl Street Mall. Last year CTSister was visiting and we walked on Pearl Street to see what was going on. Surprisingly enough, it is full of little kids! The shops stay open late to give candy to the kids and admire their costumes. Times have changed, but hopefully drawing our neighbors closer and having a sense of community and fun has not.
Happy October!
Coffee Talk Mom
P.S. Please note the GW Bush mask on one of Buzz's friends who showed up without a costume! Poor Kid, but, HEY! He looks happy!
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