Trick or Treat?

Every year, as we drift into the darkest days of fall, pumpkins, jack-o’-lanterns, and spooky decor arrive in our neighborhoods. Then, just when you think all is safe, nocturnal, costumed spirits visit our homes with petitions for tricks, or more often, the more desired, treats. They zip from door to door, sharing their fanciful charm and catching fun and festive Halloween vibes along the way.

I’ve been buying candy for the past four weeks. We now have a gigantic mountain of fun- and snack-sized sweets, all ready for our Friday visitors. The stash I have is about 10x what we actually need. I don’t know why, but I instinctively grab some each week. Sometimes it’s the variety, a special deal, or just the delight of having enough to pass around. Yes, they got me!

Do you like Halloween? The history is fascinating! You can trace it back a few millennia to the Celtic festival at the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. They saw this time as a bridge between the living and the dead, believing spirits would roam the earth. To ward off evil spirits, people lit bonfires and wore costumes. Many centuries later, Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as All Saints’ Day (aka All Hallows’ Day), honoring martyrs, which meant that the day before, October 31, would be called Hallows’ Eve. We now call it Halloween. The blend of traditions somehow became the fun and spooky annual event that brings cute, costumed princesses, heroes, goblins, and ghouls to our neighborhoods.

I don’t know about you, but I love it! I can’t wait to see the characters of all ages visiting our home and roaming the neighborhood. It reminds me of my own childhood, doing the same, and the joy of taking my own kids on those fanciful evening visits.

Halloween ushers in a season of traditions, celebrations, and gatherings. Each year adds a ring of memories to our story. Layer upon layer, those previous years show up like ghosts, visiting us and bringing to mind fond and powerful sights, scents, and sounds. Spirits of our past, our departed friends and family, visit us. We remember them. We see them in photos and imagine them sitting in those empty chairs. We savor those precious times and are grateful for the gift of memory that lets those spirits visit us once more.

As we go into this season, I encourage you all to live each day to the fullest. Cherish the fun. Treasure the spirits that visit you. Enjoy the traditions that decorate our days! Life is short, so be sure to buy plenty of candy.

Happy Halloween!