I took this photograph of a neighbor's child from Halloween Past. She, her twin brother, and two other neighbors' children dressed up as the rock band Kiss. It was back in the day when MoonPie and I lived in a neighborhood filled with young children. Although we didn't have any children living at home we would "spookify" the yard and fill a huge cauldron with candy that was always depleted by the end of the night. The adults in our neighborhood sat at the end of our driveways in lawn chairs doling out candy, laughing, talking, and sometimes sharing adult beverages with each other if Halloween fell on a weekend. There was loads of anticipation since the children (and their parents) had friendly competitions to come up with the "best" costumes of the night.

Since it was a small secluded neighborhood that had no outside traffic there was no fear of the older kids safely covering the entire place on foot. Usually someone would provide a hay ride so any parents and/or children who wanted to ride through the neighborhood could. Even those who walked would usually catch the "hay shuttle" at some point. Music and spooky sounds filled the night air.

I remember those times with fondness. Most of the children in our new smaller neighborhood are teens and we now have very few visitors. The great quantity of candy that we still habitually buy is barely touched by the end of the night. My Halloween decorations consist of pumpkins, mums, and occasionally some corn stalks. Halloween night consists of pausing the television a few times to pass out candy to the few little ones who live here.


I wouldn't trade my new neighborhood for anything, but I do sure do miss those times.