I love everything pumpkin. Bread. Bread pudding. Pie. Cake. Pasta sauce. Literally, everything. So Halloween conjures up for me all these good pumpkin feelings. Yet, I absolutely hate all of those skeletons, scary masks and those awful graveyards people construct in their front yards. Is that supposed to even be funny? I am way too superstitious to even think about headstones in my front yard. Sorry. I just do not get this.
The other issue I have with Halloween (and I hate to sound like Scrooge…what is the Scrooge equivalent for Halloween????) is the people coming to the door, ringing the bell, and driving the dog completely nuts. I am so happy to give candy to anyone who wants it. I love the little kids in their adorable costumes. I HATE HATE HATE opening my door and seeing a person/thing/monster/bloody face that scares the heck out of me.
And here is what this all boils down to. A good, responsible parent spends years and years and years warning their children ”NEVER OPEN THE FRONT DOOR TO STRANGERS” AND, a variation of that– “NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS”.
So tell me….how can it possibly be that on Halloween you throw open your front door to a total stranger who not only rings the doorbell but also that person is the scariest thing on the planet??? And then there is another and another and another. Ask yourself these questions.
You waste all that time and energy scaring your children into listening to your dire warnings and then one day a year you violate those rules with abandon. It’s not like you are opening the door to your trustworthy mailman. Or to the little girl selling Girl Scout Cookies. You are opening the door, LITERALLY, TO A MONSTER. Never understood this. And certainly my kids thought I was nuts for telling them one thing and then doing another on October 31 of every year.
The takeaway message here–love the pumpkin and all the great things to cook and eat in October. Make Halloween all about kids under 12 who dress like bees, bunnies, ballerinas and Superheroes. Enough with the rest of it! Sorry if I have offended anyone. I am going back to hiding under my bed now until November 1.