One cold, dark and scary night, was always the way you remember October 31^st. By the end of October you could usually count on the weather taking a turn for the worst. No matter how bad you wanted to show off that creative costume, it had to be worn over sweat pants or under winter coats. Then factoring in the end of daylight savings time, the sun would be setting by 5:00. With a typical overcast autumn sky, it was a cold, dark and scary night.

            Halloween, like abracadabra, is a magical word that conjures up all the joys of childhood. There was the feeling that anything was possible. If you ask kids what’s so special about Halloween, they’ll usually answer the candy. But it’s more than that. Otherwise you could save a lot of time and money by just keeping that giant bag of candy that you buy to give out.

            I think the dressing up was a big part of it. The idea that you could be anything you wanted to be. Not just in a “Grow up to be president” sort of way, but like in the way books and movies could take you to places you couldn’t imagine. You could be witches, or princesses, ghosts or pirates. No judgment or commitments, just good costumes and fun.

            You also could let your dark side out. Under cover of costume, you could howl and scream. You could be scared or brave. You could suspend disbelief and think what if… if only for one night. If we knew the ghost and goblins of the evening would be gone by morning, we could let them creep into our peripheral vision for this one magical night.

            And then there was the camaraderie, the secret society of kids at Halloween. Talk on the playground centered around,  “What are you going to be?” And “What’s your costume?” Plans were made, alliances were forged, anticipation mounted.

            Came the fateful night. and with it that feeling of invincibility. You and your friends ruled the night. Mom and dad were good for comfort, but the night was for you. You went up to each door. You had the power to say the magic words, “Trick or Treat” that unlocked the treasure of candy, even though mom got to check and ration, it was still your booty.  You made the decision; which houses to go to, which house was haunted and when you were too tired to move anymore.

            And then there was the candy. I think part of it was the mystery. Unlike going to the store and buying a bag of candy, to paraphrase Forest Gump, at Halloween, you never knew what you were going to get. Halloween was a map to buried treasure and it wasn’t as important what you got as the adventure of the hunt. Favorite candies could be debated forever, but what I remember was the variety. Dumping out your bag on the living room floor, it was amazing to see exotic colors and wrappers. We never realized so many kinds of candy existed.  Some we were willing to share, but we always got to keep something for ourselves. It was satisfying to have the chance to be a little bit selfish and the slightest bit greedy if only for a few hours, to let the monster within feast.

            It will probably be a cold, dark and scary night this October 31^st, but after all the little monsters are tucked away and by the time the sun rises on All Saint’s Day, they’ll all be little Angels again, with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.