Halloween

As the air turns colder, the leaves start changing colours and plant life starts to wilt and shrivel away, I know that Halloween is just around the corner.

When I was pregnant and found out that my due date was the first week of November I kept wishing that I would have a Halloween baby. A perfect excuse to go all out every single year. It didn't look promising considering that first babies have a tendency to go overdue. Then, when my blood pressure was acting up and more difficult to control, my OB decided that an induction would be prudent. She gave me the option of November 2nd or October 30th. Both were relatively interesting dates as the November one is the day before my mother's birthday and October 30th was close to Halloween. I decided that close to Halloween was better than after Halloween and opted for the 30th.

I was pleasantly surprised when my induction did not work and I ended up with a c-section and delivered Corwin at 7:05am on Halloween! Wowee! I got my Halloween baby!

As a kid, who wouldn't love Halloween! Dress up like anything you want and then go knocking on doors begging for candy. I still remember the first time I ever went trick or treating. I was in the first grade - my cousin/brother Jack came over to take me out trick or treating. My mother dressed me in one of her dresses, complete with a hat, jewels and I vaguely remember gloves and high heels. Having never done it before I felt a little lost and overwhelmed at what I was supposed to do. The idea is a bit strange - go to strangers' homes and knock on the door and wait for candy. My mother had bought me a little plastic pumpkin to hold my loot and clutched in hand, we were on our way.

I went to a few houses and knocked on the door. I didn't say much, a bit on the shy side and not really knowing what to do. They just said the proverbial "Hello! What do we have here?" and "Oh aren't you sweet?" gave me my candy and sent me on my way. Then there was one house that made me want to turn back home and cry. I knocked on the door and a man answered.

"Hi," I said.
"Hello. What are you supposed to be?"
"A little lady."
"I see. Do you want some candy?"
"Yes please?"
"What do you say?"
I was dumb founded. Didn't I just say please? Maybe he didn't hear me. I said please again.
"Nope, that's not it."
"Happy Halloween?"
"Nope."
"How are you?"
"Nope." The man was looking both amused and disturbed. I was beginning to think I should run away.
"Thank you?" I was really grasping at straws.
"Nope."
"Pretty please?"
"Nope."
This was getting annoying... how long was he going to play this stupid game with me? Finally he must have given up with my ignorance and said, "You're supposed to say TRICK OR TREAT!" Gave me my candy and shut the door.

I was mortified! Of course! I'd seen that on TV before. I didn't know I was really supposed to say it though. What if they said, trick? What would I have done then? I was also the product of immigrant parents who never even bothered to lie to me about Santa Claus (whole other story!) so how would I know what the custom of trick or treating was? I took Jack's hand and said, "I'm ready to go home now."

Thankfully, that man did not squash my halloween spirit. I went trick or treating with some friends the next year and I screamed TRICK OR TREAT! as loud as the other kids did and all was well again. I soon graduated from my little plastic pumpkin to a plastic bag and then to the mother of all halloween bags - the pillow case. I loved coming home and emptying my loot out on my bedroom floor and then sorting and examining my spoils into neat little piles.

Now that I'm an adult, I look forward to carving pumpkins, making my halloween treat bags, decorating the house (although I wish I had more storage space to get even more decorations) and if I could get away with it, I'd still go out with my pillow case and go trick or treating. Now that I have a Halloween baby, I'll be able to have even more fun and he'll have costume parties every year! Hooray! I can't wait until Corwin is old enough to go trick or treating. Can't beat a birthday where you get lots of free candy!