Growing up in the suburbs Halloween is easy and exciting! After having planned my costumes (and trick or treating route) sometimes for months in advance being set loose in the neighborhood was a few hours of joyous (generally freezing cold) bliss! With an average 8-10 pound haul of candy I was set until Christmas. At a very early age we were set loose (chaperone free) in the neighborhood with a watch and a check in time... otherwise we were about as free as you could be! I am proud (or ashamed) to admit that I trick or treated all through high school and don't regret it for a second.
My first experience with Halloween in the city made me realize how easy it was to be a kid in the 'burbs. It had never occurred to me that children in the city can't go door to door to trick or treat. Instead they often collect candy from businesses in the area. My first encounter with this was jarring and eye-opening. I didn't realize what was happening at first. As I got off the train on my way to class I was immediately surrounded by hoards of young children dressed to the nines in costumes running between all the different shops and restaurants. My initial thought was "aww, that's cute! All the businesses decided to have a trick or treating event for the kids on a Sunday afternoon." And then it came to me, "kids can't go trick or treating door to door knocking on strangers doors asking for candy!" I thought to myself "man, they are really missing out, they have no idea what trick or treating is really like..." That is suburban naivety right there. Of course they are not missing out, that is just what Halloween and trick or treating is to them.
Different areas of town had their trick or treating extravaganza at different times on different days all last weekend and this week. (If I were growing up here I would see that as a perfect opportunity to make it Halloween Week and trick or treat every night).
This leads me to my second observation about Halloween in the city (although this is true of college as well). Halloween is not just one night! There were parties all last weekend, wednesday and thursday of this week and I can only assume that there will be a few more this weekend.
So what does that mean for me? That means that I have to continue reminding myself that seeing a guy in a luchador mask, a teletubby on a motorcycle, a man with no pants crutches and an Obama mask (ObamaCare), and Poison Ivy are still mostly socially acceptable.
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| My Halloween was a nice low key party with friends. Here you can see me with a pirate and a cowgirl. I was Rachel Berry circa Season 1 of Glee (although you can't tell in this picture). |
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