Happy Helloween.

I still feel bitchy.

So....


You know what? I don't really care for Halloween. The best part about it is seeing my kids in cute costumes but they do that everyday. If we want candy, I buy it at the store, so really? Halloween doesn't do much for me.

The kids, like all kids, think it's full of the awesome. Never mind that half their candy gets thrown out because they don't like that kind or the ends of their favorite costume gets frayed from dragging it down the asphalt street, but since everyone else loves it and is doing it, they must too.

Nine years ago when child one was a wee tot, I dressed him up and handed out candy to our old neighbors and was surprised to find so many "babies" trick-or-treating. I mean, my kid was eating solids at that time but there was no way I could make the argument that he was gumming caramel chews for dessert, yet there were newly birthed, still wrinkly red babies whose daddies were holding out their bag "for them". Really? I don't remember anyone doing that when we were kids. If you could walk, hold your own bag, and chomp the goodies, then you trick-or-treated. That was that.

As the years have gone by, I've noticed the adults are just scrapping the babies all together. Shoot, they don't even wear costumes. They hold out a used grocery bag and shoot me a scowl that says to me, "drop the Snickers or your dog gets it later", which from a thirty year old is kinda like extortion and isn't that a crime? I mean, shoot, we even taught our dog it wasn't nice to beg.

We now, and have for the past three Halloweens, lived in a gated community. The premise of which means you need to live here or know someone here to cruise our streets but, oh, to all the candy beggars it means we must have better candy than their place because each year someone actually jimmies the gate open and the whole town comes barreling through....MOST of them without actual children. On November 1, our homeowners association will have to pay part of our dues to have it fixed. Again.

Last year I bought ten bags of good chocolate candy. It was gone in fifteen minutes. I probably handed out one bag to our neighbors. Maybe four bags to kids.

I just don't understand why a grown adult would think it's okay to hijack a child's holiday just to save a few bucks at the supermarket. Or why they or their kids need so much of it. Wonder why America has an obesity problem? Maybe it started with Halloween.

This year my oldest has had his trick-or-treating privileges revoked so he will stay home with me and our bucket of candy. The good stuff. My neighbor's children will be treated nicely. I have another bowl filled with the apples and oranges that were on sale this week. I am just looking out for the gate-crasher's health.

Looking forward to November ya'll.