Current mood:	cheerful
Current music:	Stardust / Hoosiers
Entry tags:	hallowe'en

Happy Hallowe'en
31st October 2007

So far this season no Trick or Treaters have appeared at our door – and we even have purpose purchased treats for the first time ever. I wondered if there is actually a specific day, but the wiki entry only states “on or around” Halloween (31st October) SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating. Interesting that there is talk of the police in the UK taking action if anyone does the trick element. “Your nicked kid, drop the candy or it will go badly for you.”

It seems that the 31st is the official day for costumed visitors to arrive on the door step. Karen had purchased a bag of individual chocolate cookies – 14 to a bag. We were visited by three groups up until about half seven. The first lot wiped out most of the cookies, so it was back to the dishwasher tablets for the rest. This group had about 2.3's in costume – the smallest and mostly female costumed kids were positioned at the front, with their slightly older, more self conscious and non-costumed brothers behind. On the footpath, unidentifiable were a group of parents. It seems they hunt in packs.
Once cookies were dispensed, I called to the parents “I've not got enough for all you lot too” - it got a laugh. Group two was a single young girl – maybe 6 or 7 and she was in full witches costume – a very colourful costume. Again, lurking unseen was a parent at the end of the path. The final group was another gang, and having raided Millie's cereal bars, Karen's' Twirl stash and the dishwasher, we had enough to go around. One of the parents called from the path “hello Paul” - I think it was Jenny from across the road – I couldn't tell in the dark.

All passed without incident. It's nice to see that there is some community in our neck of the woods. We're some time off driving them all (the kids) to a car park, circling the wagons and doing a boot sale style trick or treat as I was informed happened in part of the states (Penny via Karen).

I remember a few years ago making the mistake of answering the door on an evening around this time and desperately searching the kitchen cupboards for something to give the little rascals who appeared from behind some interestingly minimal costumes. I can't remember what we actually gave them but I think it might have been a dishwasher tablet and some raisins. And the raisins were cultivated from the original more juicy form.

I'm not a big fan of Trick or Treating because I don't think our communities are close enough for people not to feel threatened by strange kids turning up on the doorstep. I wonder if this attitude will change when Millie reaches the age to start doing it, or at least want to start?

Reaching even further back into the past, I remember when I was young, and my bedroom window was above the front door, preparing, with a friend, dustbin bags filled with water to drop on would be Trick or treaters. I think we even got to implement this carefully prepared plan on one group of kids – leaving 15 bags full of water to sneak back into the bathroom. Oh to be young again. If I recall the bag just sort of landed on a shoulder and slid onto the floor, having given them a shock. In my youth we couldn't afford water balloons.

The Stardust soundtrack has been played from my PC almost continually (alternating with the Hoosiers new album) since I downloaded it a couple of days back. The film itself was a delight, made more so by the music – in fact, I told Mr. Gaiman as much.