Editorial: What Happened to Halloween?

I have a lot of memories in my head, and the most common is how much I love spooky things and Halloween. I try to raise my kids by reflecting on past trick or treatings and more. They knew what we did and how cool we thought we were with that He-Man plastic costume. We all had ripped costumes by the night’s end, but it was an experience. Our trick-or-treat spots were everywhere; in 2 hours, you could hit two towns and keep going, and then all the candy I didn’t like would sit there alone. We weren’t allowed to eat any candy before we got home, worrying about razor blades in apples or being injected with poison; these were real things we worried about back then.

School Halloween party

We Owned The Night

We only waited for the bell in school until the class was over. Then, we raced home to get our costumes on for trick-or-treating time. It always seemed like death before that clock hit fun time. We would start in an area by our house and then hit another place. By the end of the night, we were tired but so happy. These were great times for everyone. The 80s and 90s had something special. We were kings and queens for one night. Those days are long gone, we will probably never see the magic of Halloween again. It’s a gut punch thinking about those days.

What Happened Here?!

Where did the magic go? Why are there so many princesses compared to little monsters? None of this makes sense; however, We raised our kids on Peppa Pig. We also killed all of our social cues. We would instead argue about everything, from Presidents to Syrup bottles. I would take back the days and try to make them seem better for my kids. After 9/11, we all went a little wonky, as it should have been. It killed an entire generation because we wouldn’t ever be the same again. You would remember when we were scared; everyone loved each other.

If I Ruled The World

If I had any choice in the matter, I would remove all the sexy devil or cop costumes from adults, too. Look, I have the spirit of Halloween! It’s OK to celebrate things, folks. We survived two very tough factors in our generation, but we still argue about that instead. I bet if we practiced, we could put kindness and humility back into play. Let’s teach our kids about the cool monsters they could be portraying. Don’t count Halloween as another “canceled” moment. Lets all get along and show our kids it’s OK to celebrate this holiday, Don’t turn off you porch light, give the kids some candy, jerk!

In The End

I look back on these moments with my friends running from house to house. We were speed demons, pillaging candy bowls. Don’t grow up too fast; these moments don’t last forever, but the memories will. Let your kids be a little scary. Desentize them from monsters and ghouls. My 13-year-old is finally watching movies with me. I didn’t turn her down because it was our bonding time. I would never keep her from Halloween; it’s my day to shine.

Please take my advice here: don’t let them grow up in a world that no longer cares.

 

 

About Craig Lucas

I hail from rural PA where there isn't much to do except fixate on something. Horror was, and still is my fixation. I have 35 years of horror experience under my belt, I love the horror community and it loves me.

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