Halloween Scrooge

I wasn't in the Halloween spirit this year. No, I wasn't worried about the Satanic implications of seeing little kids dressed up like Dora the Explorer or whatever is popular this year. Unlike my neighbors (the "Ned Flanders family"), I don't usually sit in the house with all the lights off for fear that I'll be possessed by the devil if I hand out candy to kids on this particular night of the year. Maybe it was the fact that I have a cold and didn't want to hand out germs along with the candy. Maybe it was the fact that I'm on a diet and don't want to be anywhere near candy. The whole day seems to have become overly commericial. This is Geezer-Talk, I know, but back in the day, no one had big inflatable Frankensteins tethered to their front yard. No one bought pre-packaged costumes for their dog. You didn't go to Wal-Mart to buy plastic Jack-o-lanterns in every color of the rainbow. You bought a real pumpkin (orange!!) and scooped out the disgusting insides with your hand, attempted to carve a face into it, put a candle inside, and that was the end of your decorations. Last night, I saw that the stores were selling Halloween cards...who sends out Halloween cards? I'm lucky if I get my Christmas cards out before MLK day. The whole mess made me glad that today is November, and usually, November is my least favorite month, with the gloomy weather and elections and all.

We need to get back to the basics of Halloween. Jack O'Lantern...that sounds like a good Irish name. That is something to drink about.