Oct 30, 2019 3 min read

It’s that time of year when leaves have reached their peak golden and rust colors and are beginning to fall, and kids everywhere are excited to put on their Halloween costumes and go do to door for trick-or-treating. I’m prepared with my giant bag of candy which I will try to hand out rather than eating it all while I wait for the kids.

I’ve noticed several changes to Halloween over the past few years compared to when I was a kid. First of all, Halloween is big business now, generating nearly $9 billion for the economy last year. Nine billion! I imagine part of that is because adults today are way more into this spooky holiday than I ever remember my parents and their friends being. All of the kids in our neighborhood dressed up and pretty much went door-to-door looking for candy as a big group. I don’t remember our parents ever dressing up to go with us or donning a witch’s hat and cape to answer the door for trick or treat.

These days, adult Halloween parties are even bigger and more elaborate than any kid’s party. My friends threw a 1980s “I Want My MTV” themed party a couple of years ago where we all dressed as ’80s music stars, and it was hilarious! There are entire stores that pop up in August selling costumes and decorations for nearly two months before Halloween.

When I was a kid, we made costumes out of what we had around the house. I remember Mom helping me transform into a black cat in grade school with my leotard from dance class, black tights and a tail made of black pantyhose stuffed with socks. Draw on some whiskers and you’re done! These days, I see the most amazing and ornate costumes that I imagine cost parents a pretty penny to buy.

The other difference I’ve noticed is the way kids trick or treat. I remember going up to each door and having to either knock or ring the doorbell and say, “Trick or treat!” A few years ago, the weather was cold and I put on the porch lights and waited for the bell to ring. I looked out the window and saw kids walking down the street, but they weren’t coming to my house. Then I saw neighbors sitting outside in the cold with bowls of candy, and the kids were going to those houses. Once I opened the door and sat outside in the cold, the kids came running. Is it too scary nowadays to go up to a stranger’s door and ring the bell?

Tomorrow’s weather forecast looks rainy, so I don’t plan to sit outside and get soaked just to give kids candy. I’ll have the lights on and the inside door propped open so they will hopefully feel that it’s safe to approach. C’mon, kids … ring that doorbell and yell, “Trick or treat!”

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.