Too Old to Trick-or-Treat

It’s all over. James and Ian have outgrown trick or treat. We’ve stopped shopping for costumes. Evening jaunts ending with a load of candy and sleepy children are gone. Anxious glances at the clock and the darkening sky are a thing of the past. The boys are teens now, and yet another of the milestones that mark their road to adulthood has receded into the distance.

I loved Halloween when I was young. The delirious freedom of walking with my friends at night, the scent of the autumn wind and scorched pumpkin, the sheer joy of yelling those three magic words. And the candy!

We tried to give the boys memories that would last as long as mine have. From the time that James was 9 months old and his costume was a purple lightning bolt on his forehead, we never missed a Halloween. We continued through Ian’s last year when his costume was Death and he tried to say TRICK OR TREAT in all capital letters. For 13 glorious, wonderful years, we took part in the ritual. Now, they’re too old.

But, Halloween is still something we can enjoy as a family, and our anticipation continues. All summer, we accumulate windfall limbs for our chiminea. We hold family discussions of what treats we should have and insist the boys take part. What candy? Hot cider? Hot chocolate? Both? And, when it’s time to light and stoke the fire, we become overseers and let the boys maintain the blaze.

I suppose I’ll never know whether I was able to instill memories in them strong enough to last 50 years, the way mine have. But this year when the light from our Halloween bonfire dances on their faces, I’ll be able to relax. We can still have fun that they’ll remember. Maybe, for 50 years.

William R. Bartlett lives in Belton with his family.