As I dust off my twenty year old Halloween candy basket and fill it with\u00a0chocolate\u00a0miniatures, I am envisioning greedy little faces at my door rather than tiny cherubs dressed as Snow White or a box of Crayons. Now before you\u00a0judge\u00a0me as the Wicked Witch of the West rather than precious Glinda, let me explain. I have lived on the same corner of the same street in a quiet suburban neighborhood for over 25 years. \u00a0Each Halloween, I have dutifully handed out candy to neighborhood children in a neighborly way\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0neighborly\u00a0smile. And I have genuinely enjoyed seeing my children and their friends shouting, “Trick or Treat” as I swing open the door to\u00a0their\u00a0excited grins and giggles.<\/p>\n
But in the last few\u00a0years, I have seen a change in this routine. No longer am I greeted with smiling faces behind the clown paint or Justin Bieber hat. \u00a0Now I see hoards of strangers, huddled in groups the size of a soccer team, pushing to my outstretched hand yelling, “How many can I take?”<\/p>\n
Really?! Has “trick or treat” gone the way of giving a lady your seat on a bus or standing when your elder enters the room? Well, not at my house. \u00a0I respond to “How many can I take?” with “How many what?” Or more often, “What do you say?”<\/p>\n
To that, the Lady Gagas, Harry Potters and Jack Sparrows withdraw their bags, plastic\u00a0pumpkins\u00a0or (my least favorite) pillow cases a few inches and\u00a0murmur\u00a0a befuddled, “Trick or treat.”<\/p>\n
In return they get a big witch smile and as many pieces as they want, especially if they throw in a “thank you” before they run next door.<\/p>\n
Last year, two adorable elevenish boys dressed as Thing One and Thing Two, huddled in the bushes before they entered my neighbor’s yard and whispered, “Wow, she was harsh! ”<\/p>\n
Mission accomplished. \u00a0Until “Trick or Treat” is back, I’ve accepted I will never be a Glinda.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As I dust off my twenty year old Halloween candy basket and fill it with\u00a0chocolate\u00a0miniatures, I am envisioning greedy little faces at my door rather than tiny cherubs dressed as Snow White or a box of Crayons. Now before you\u00a0judge\u00a0me as the Wicked Witch of the West rather than precious Glinda, let me explain. I …<\/p>\n