I’ll be honest. When I first heard about the practice of Trunk-Or-Treating, I was appalled. It just seemed like a way for parents to over shelter their kids or to further defame the usual traditions of Halloween. As I’ve mentioned many times, I’m from a smaller city in Massachusetts. There, and in the towns nearby, are suburban areas with close-knit houses and “nice” neighborhoods. So, if anyone ever asked about Halloween, these are the images that came to mind.
I’ll tell you right out, I don’t like Trunk-Or-Treating. What’s my beef? Well, it seems to me like a poor, watered-down, substitute for something so fun, mysterious, and exciting. It seems like, pretty much, the opposite of Halloween. It takes place in well-lit parking lots, with only decorations big enough to fit in a trunk. Booooo. The entire holiday centers around darkness, wandering spirits, and creepy carvings. Take those away and you’re no longer celebrating Halloween, but something else entirely.
It recently dawned on me, however, that not every place in the country is the same. Our family would always go to the “better” places to Trick-or-Treat. Not every family can do that. Some live in cities where Trick-or-Treating isn’t exactly safe. Others live in places where the houses are miles apart from each other, and the door-to-door tradition isn’t feasible. To those people, I say, do whatever works for your situation. It’s sad that not everyone can enjoy the same experiences I had that make this holiday so great. Trunk-Or-Treating is better than nothing at all. To those people who aren’t in those areas and just want to snub their noses at the traditional celebrating, I say, shame on you.
Trick-or-Treating is one of the greatest experiences on earth. My only real regret is that I’m “too old” to keep doing it. Yet, even when I became “too old”, I went with my nieces and nephew. I still go, every year, with someone young enough to enjoy it.
It’s all so wondrous and playful. That’s why spooky is a good word to describe it; it’s macabre, but not so bad that you run screaming to the nearest police officer. It’s all in good fun. Trunk-or-Treating is like going out to ring doorbells on the wrong night: no one else is doing it and it just doesn’t have the same feel. With this new “tradition” you miss most of the fun things of Halloween: carved pumpkins, the adventure, the decorations, other costumes. Basically, you miss Halloween.
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