Halloween is a strange holiday. I think we all kind of know this. I’m sure there’s a completely legitimate explanation for how the traditions came about, but they sure don’t make much sense today. And lets be honest, traditions in and of themselves are kind of weird things. Especially when they entail dressing absurdly and giving away free candy (who does that, really?).
Well, we were talking about it tonight at the Halloween party I decided to attend. It’s kind of like, children start very young. Their parents take them out. They have no idea why their dressing up and have really no idea why they’re getting candy for free. In fact, for all they know, dressing up at any time and knocking on random doors would result in free candy. Good thing most parents keep a fairly tight leash on their kids.
Eventually, kids get older and look foreword to the one night a year when they can walk from door to door dressed up like something scary and they get free candy for it. Of course, that doesn’t last long. Sooner or later, kids hit the age where they learn to work the system. Cover the maximum number of doors in the minimum amount of time with the least amount of effort put into the costume. This is about the age where you stop hearing “trick or treat” when they knock on the door.
At this age though, it’s pretty much all over. Not because it stops being fun, no. It’s right about this age where kids have a profound realization: candy doesn’t cost very much. As soon as they figure this one out, it’s done. Why walk from door to door dressed like a fool for something you could buy a year supply of after mowing one lawn?
So, what’s left? Go to Halloween parties. Drink too much. Go to bed and look foreword to having your own kids and getting to start the cycle all over again.
I suppose traditions are important, right?
November 1st, 2008 at 9:06 am
And then there’s ….
- cutting down a tree in December, decorating it with mostly cheap stuff, and putting under it gifts wrapped in pretty paper. Anyway, why give gifts?
- marking the anniversary of someone’s birth by baking a cake, decorating it, burning candles on it - burning, for crying out loud! - and singing a silly song. If anything the birthday person should reverse the actions and honor the mother who did all the work on the day of birth and all that followed for the next 15 or 20 years.
- shooting a bunch of fireworks into the sky every July 4 to commemorate an event about which many modern folk are largely ignorant.
- standing in line for hours to see the first showing of a movie that won’t change between then and a week later when there will be no lines.
- spending all day every 4th Thursday in November cooking a turkey and accompaniments for family and friends. A baloney sandwich would be just as filling.
- singing a song for any reason. After all, no information is conveyed in song that couldn’t be conveyed faster if spoken. It would save natural resources used to fashion guitars and other musical instruments.
November 1st, 2008 at 9:16 am
Oh, if only we could delete this holiday. You probably already no this but October 31st was Reformation Day long before Halloween.