I"m a Halloweenie

I am really glad that Halloween is over. I know kids love this holiday almost as much as Christmas, but I do not. I was OK with it last year, but this year, I became a Halloweenie.

Several weeks ago, we went to the big city to get the kids costumes. We hadn't been down there in quite some time. It was a pretty good trip overall. The kids got to see their grandmother and their aunt that they have not seen in a number of years.

Because we are living life on the cheap, we went to the thrift store to get their costumes. We ended up getting some good deals and the kids really liked the ones they got.

They have been excited about Halloween ever since then, even to the point of counting down and asking us every day how many days left.

On Friday, we took the kids to a Halloween party at the casino in town. They had a number of games and a spooky maze for the kids to do. They also had free food ...something that we couldn't pass up. The kids seemed to have had fun and they got to wear their costumes.

Saturday, there was a trunk-or-treat on Main street. We went to one two years ago and were disappointed because we waited in line for almost two hours and by the time we got to the booths, they had run out of candy. So this time we tried to get there as early as we could. But, just as in the previous time we went, there were hundreds of people it seemed and the line stretched way down the block. Plus parking was horrible. I was a Halloweenie and decided to leave without any treats. The kids were sad, but we stopped and let them pick a candy a local convenience store trying to lessen the disappointment. I really didn't want to go, but the kids had been excited about it so we went. That is an event that will never be on our list of things to do again.

Several people had told my wife that the town put in the paper that trick-or-treat was to be Saturday instead of Sunday the 31st. We didn't believe it, but they insisted that was true. And just as we thought, no one was out Saturday night. That was a stupid idea to change when Halloween is.

And as for actual Halloween night? We first went around our neighborhood. There was very few kids out. In previous years, we went to different areas so we weren't sure what to expect. Then we went down the road by the airport. We didn't see any kids out. There were a few houses that the kids got candy from and one just left a bucket by the door and said take one. Then we went down a street that was packed with cars. Expecting a lot of stops, we parked and took our excited kids up one side of the street. We stopped at maybe three places and that was it. Out of about 40 homes, that was it. Why there were so many cars and people down that street, we will never know.

Then we went a few more places and were done thankfully. The kids had a good time, but I think my teenage daughter did not enjoy the festivities as much as she has in the past. I think that was her last Halloween.

When we got home, I just wanted all the kids out of their costumes and in bed. But they stayed up for a while longer and had some candy and hot chocolate.

I am so glad that it is over. Don't get me wrong. I really love my kids and I want them to have fun and to have good childhood memories. That is why we take them. I guess I am not a total Halloweenie after all.