Boo for Halloween, but also Boo, as in Boo Hoo....
Halloween is awesome! And I'm a little sad that this stupid pandemic may ruin it.
Dressing up as someone (or something else) is great. You can become anything you want. You can get out of your comfort zone (or even pull further into it) for a night.
And there is candy!
I think Halloween will always be my favorite holiday. I'm not big into being scared, that's just not my thing. But I do love to see all the costumes--and dressing up myself.
This year, for the first time in at least 10 years (actually, I think it's 12), my Book Club will not be having its annual Halloween party--well at least not the dressing up part.
Stupid Covid.
Every year, one member would make us read some horror novel (usually Stephen King), then we'd head over to her decorated home, all dressed up and eat, drink, laugh, talk about the book a little, and just enjoy each other's company.
And we'd take a picture.
This year we are still meeting, but sans costumes, and in her back yard, She has promised decorations and libations, but it just won't be the same. The creativity of these women is unbelievable!
I'm still happy we will get together. We will still talk about books, what is going on in the world, commiserate about Covid and being stuck inside all the time. At least we still have that.
Closer to home, our town celebrates "Cabbage Night," the night before Halloween. We called it Devil's Night when I was growing up in Michigan. Anywho, Cabbage Night is a huge deal here. In fact, one restaurant goes out of its way to have fun. They have several beautiful trees on their property, right on a major road. Each Cabbage Night, they encourage folks to TP those trees, but for a good cause. For a non-perishable food item, they get a roll of toilet paper and have at it! They have slingshots and launchers to get the TP way up there. It's been going on for 60 years!!!
It was touch and go there for a bit...would Cabbage Night happen?
Well...its a go! The decision has been made, procedures put in place, and toilet paper procured!
Last year, they received over 600 lbs of food for our local food bank, and tossed a 1000 rolls of TP. I bet they wished they had saved those this past March, right? Hopefully this year it will be even more (food donations--not TP). Goodness knows there are a lot of people out there that need the help! I doubt I'll be able to make it, but I sure love driving by for a couple of weeks later to see the carnage.
As for us, I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen, but I am cautiously optimistic.
B wants to go trick or treating. He has some weird costume planned (some video game person I think--Harry Stickmin?). J has decided he's too old for trick or treating (he's 12 mind you--I still wanted to go out at 15...hell, I still want to go out now.) He said he'd stay home and help pass out candy with Dad. I think the Autism kicks in a little on Halloween.
But I miss those days when they would both get dressed up! This is my favorite costume of them ever! They had watched Back to the Future, and decided to be Marty McFly and Doc. Many of the kids who were walking around the neighborhood had no idea who they were. But all the parents did.
I'm not sure what people are doing in our neighborhood? Will anyone have their light on? Will anyone be out?
I've seen many neighbors decorating their yards with tombstones, skeletons and ghosts. I'm hoping that this means they are "open for business" Halloween night.
As of now, we are planning on having our light on. We have candy, and I haven't eaten it yet. I am contemplating a chute so we can give out candy and maintain our distance, in order to make everyone feel safer. I will probably walk around the neighborhood with B, then head over to my book club party after.
And as we have so often this year, we will say to ourselves, we will always remember what we did during the pandemic.
I'd like to forget it, but at least we hope to have a little Halloween fun. A little sense of normalcy during this crazy year.
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