thomas leverett weblog

trick or treat

Since I post so rarely on this blog these days, I'm afraid this post will last way too long, with the small-town rural world lurching toward Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year. But I have something to say about trick-or-treating before it's too late.

One aspect of trick-or-treating is way too much candy for all the children, though that's true of Easter and Christmas also, and often comes at the expense of a real meal or two, at least in my family. I wouldn't be sad to see that part go, but instead, that part is still here: kids are sick the next day; everyone's had too much; mom is hiding the candy, you know the drill.

I live way out in the country now and there is a lot less trick-or-treating out here than in town. In fact I would venture a guess that trick-or-treating is down to about 25% of what it used to be, and disappearing fast. There are neighborhoods in towns where it is alive and well, but there are whole swaths of towns, big or small, where it's all but gone. And I'll be the first to say, I'll miss it.

It's not the costumes, really. Those got worse over the years; they used to be homemade, and very clever, but over the years they became more likely store-bought, One year one of my kids was laughed at in the mall because his costume was homemade, not store-bought. What, I said, does everyone have to go out and spend $30 a kid now? But just the other day, I found one at the Family Dollar for five. I think they got onto the fact that, since they are only being worn once, or twice at most, they don't have to last forever.

What I will miss about trick-or-treating is the neighbor interchange. A set of parents answers the door, admires a kid, says he's cute, or clever, and gives him a piece of candy. All year long, the kid has been stepping in their garden; now, they look at him or her with recognition, and both relate as neighbors. In the modern world, if you are in a neighborhood that has trick-or-treating, you get maybe hundreds of kids who aren't even neighbors. If you live elsewhere, you have to take your car out to find that place. It's already not the same. The neighbor exchange is strongly diminished.

Out here in the country, you have to walk quite a bit just to find a neighbor. So, I don't think we were expected at most of these houses, although we have about the only kids. But we did have a little adventure about three weeks ago. A phone was supposed to arrive from UPS; it didn't, but UPS, upon being called, claimed that it had been delivered. This phone was important to us, so we went around, trying to see if, by chance, it had been delivered to neighbors.

Some neighbors were a little nervous, since they are approached by strangers so rarely, and we, being new to the neighborhood, were essentially strangers. They were friendly, though, and denied receiving a phone. One said, don't worry, we don't shoot anyone on sight, unless we already know them. But basically, it turned out to be a UPS error; they didn't know what their driver knew, and it hadn't arrived yet, and wouldn't, until about midnight.

What I remember about that day was the October weather. Leaves changing, air fresh and beautiful, dozens of deer out on the grass. October is beautiful everywhere, but especially in the mountains. And I do love our neighbors, though I can't blame them for being a little wary. You are generally left alone way out in these parts, and that's how people prefer it, or they wouldn't move out here. In town, I think, lots of people would love trick-or-treaters, and are disappointed at the silence every year, left alone with a large bowl of candy. The neighborhood is not what it used to be. Trick-or-treating, victim of a false razor-blade tale, victim of being appropriated by churches, which by and large didn't like some of those evil caricatures anyway, has gone by the wayside. And I'll miss it, at least part of it.

posted by tom @ 3:40 PM