An opinion\u2026by Suzanne Watson<\/p>\n
I read the other day that Americans will spend $6.9 billion<\/strong> on Halloween this year, more than any other holiday except Christmas.\u00a0 The head of the National Retail Association says that Halloween is now a \u201cseason\u201d.\u00a0 I guess I should have known that, what with all the paraphernalia that is evident everywhere from the grocery store to Ace Hardware.\u00a0 But when did this happen?\u00a0 When did Halloween turn into something that \u2013 like Christmas \u2013 the retailers have taken over and completely exploited?<\/p>\n At the risk of sounding like Andy Rooney, it seems like Halloween has gotten much too complicated.\u00a0 When I was a kid Halloween was simple.\u00a0 Costumes were cobbled together from things found around the house \u2013 a sheet with holes in it for a ghost or towels pinned around the neck for a Superman cape.\u00a0 If one was really lucky you had a grandparent with a glass eye so you could borrow their patch for a pirate costume.\u00a0 The occasional kid bought a plastic mask at the five and dime but that was thought to be phony and close to cheating.\u00a0 The fun of Halloween was using our imagination <\/em>to come up with the cleverest costume.\u00a0 We proudly marched in our school parades and vied for the prize for best costume.\u00a0\u00a0 Yep \u2013 they gave out one award.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t get a ribbon just for participating.<\/p>\n On Halloween night, we were let loose in the neighborhoods near us with a battle plan that would have done justice to an Army general.\u00a0 We plotted out which houses to avoid \u2013 those that gave out hard candy or fruit \u2013 and which to hit first.\u00a0 The lady around the corner was always our starting point because she made delicious popcorn balls.\u00a0 Then we progressed to the homes that dished out candied apples, divinity, brownies, and fudge.\u00a0 We never gave a thought about eating food that had been prepared by someone we didn\u2019t really know.\u00a0 It was all home-made, lovingly wrapped up in waxed paper or aluminum foil, and it was scrumptious.<\/p>\n These days Halloween has turned into an extravaganza \u2013 or in the words of the retailers \u2013 a \u201cseason\u201d.\u00a0 At my local Target the part of the store that hasn\u2019t already been turned into a Christmas wonderland is dedicated to over-the-top Halloween displays.\u00a0 And our Hallmark store is a complete freak show.\u00a0\u00a0 There are strings of lights to put on the house, special Halloween gift bags and toys, a Pin the Tail on the Cat game and aisle after aisle of decorations and party favors.<\/p>\n According to the article, adults are increasingly participating in this holiday that was once the domain of children.\u00a0 I suppose we should have seen this coming.\u00a0 People are in need of an escape these days and what better way to suppress your anger about your 401K than to dress up like one of the Angry Birds?\u00a0 Still, it seems like this should be a holiday for children, not another excuse for mom and dad to dress up like fools (we still have New Year\u2019s Eve for that).<\/p>\n But the real change is that so many kids no longer trick-or-treat.\u00a0 Now the trend is to have home parties.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0I know that there are more risks today and that the world is full of scary people, but I still find it sad that kids miss the fun of going house to house.\u00a0 Because no matter how great the favors are from Target, it can\u2019t be as much fun as plotting routes, knocking on strangers\u2019 doors and being rewarded with popcorn balls.<\/p>\n Selfishly, I miss seeing the kids come around each year.\u00a0 I miss asking them about their costumes and providing the appropriate response when they twirl in their princess dress or growl in their werewolf mask.\u00a0 I still buy Snickers bars each Halloween in hopes that someone will come by, but inevitably they end up in my freezer.\u00a0 Eventually my husband and I eat them and I end up doing extra time at the gym.\u00a0 Halloween \u2013 and my metabolism \u2013 are both different these days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An opinion\u2026by Suzanne Watson I read the other day that Americans will spend $6.9 billion on Halloween this year, more than any other holiday except Christmas.\u00a0 The head of the National Retail Association says that Halloween is now a \u201cseason\u201d.\u00a0 … read more