Thankful for the Return of Halloween - Dr. Ed Iannuccilli
Monday, November 08, 2021
Our Bristol home on a quiet welcoming street is a delightful place for trick-or-treaters. It is an evening that Diane and I enjoy because it is a chance to welcome eager, appreciative kids, and their parents, to a simple night of delight. We love to see the eager, costumed little kids (and often their costumed parents) prance to the door and stand fast to the cries of nearby parents, “Go ahead and ring it. Go ahead. Ring the bell.”
This was a year of return to the socialization of Halloween evident in a neighborhood thrumming with the vibrant sights and sounds of kids, and the aromas of candy and damp leaves. Gibbering chatter filled the streets as families hoofed from door to door through the shadows; street, porch lights and flashlights guiding the way.
Just as they rang the bell, we swung open our slightly ajar door to the squeaks of “Trick-or-Treat.” There they stood, a myriad of sizes and poses, dancing feet, arms outstretched, bags, pillowcases, and pumpkin buckets open to receive the bounty. Though at times we think we should add something healthy like apples or oranges, it is the neatly packaged Halloween candy that prevails. Why not? It’s what we did, what they want and what they like.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe costumes were fascinating, some curious. Because I always wore one homemade, I seemed to appreciate the creative a bit more. It didn’t matter. I enjoyed them all. Pirates, gypsies, superheroes, frightening figures, firefighters, cartoon characters and witches were popular. There were imaginative ones, like the kid dressed as a businessman and another as Tom Cruise from “Top Gun.” Captain Marvel, and The Wizard’s Dorothy caught my eye. They were adults, no less laden with, or looking for, goodies. Later in the evening came line cooks from a nearby restaurant. They were dressed as cooks. Well, OK. All of them seemed to inhabit their characters with pride.
Our costumes of bygone days were homemade; a ghost with a sheet over the head, a scarecrow with straw tucked in the sleeves of an old shirt, Raggedy Ann, an old lady with a housedress and pocketbook, a hobo (my choice), fashioned with a tattered, oversized coat and fire-charred cork smeared on my face.
Halloween. This is a time when kids and adults can be allowed to put on anything they want while walking about without being considered peculiar. And getting free stuff in response to a simple phrase.
What better way to meet the neighbors? It is a time when people feel comfortable knocking on doors, chatting, showcasing their kids. There are few occasions these days when people feel relaxed doing that, even if it were just to say hello. Halloween breaks the ice and encourages being neighborly, a community, not Mayberry, but neighborly enough. Small talk became big talk, maybe because it was about kids looking to the future. Generosity. Positivity. Let’s hope so.
For a fleeting moment, people seemed happy, carefree. It was such a cozy evening, one that we missed last year.
Dr. Ed Iannuccilli is the author of three popular memoirs, “Growing up Italian; Grandfather’s Fig Tree and Other Stories”, “What Ever Happened to Sunday Dinner” and “My Story Continues: From Neighborhood to Junior High.” Learn more HERE.
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