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Oct 24, 2022Liked by Christine Merser

OK. Growing up Halloween was not my favorite. I get it. But then we moved into this neighborhood that changed everything. The kids loved trick-or-treating. The parent that lost the toss had to stay back and dole out candy and keep the spooky music on a loop while the other parent got to tour the neighborhood and participate in trick or drink! Yup, that’s right! Spiked cider, hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps. As the parent who usually stayed behind, my only expectation of my husband was that he come home with the same number of kids he left with. Most of the time he didn’t even know what costumes our children were dressed in! My three daughters and 9 grandchildren are obsessed with the holiday. By the way I almost spit out my pumpkin cinnamon coffee when I read the line, “I’m not the one they borrow sugar from🤣”

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I have hated Halloween since the day I was born, which was the following day, the the way. Never had imagination enough to come up with a costume as a kid and always had some disaster occur ON Halloween after I had kids. For years I just locked up my house and turned off the lights and watched TV. Now I live in a place where everyone lives an acre or more away so no trick or treating. YAY! Those enormous bags of candy they sell for Halloween never contain dark chocolate so I am not even tempted! I imagine Maine may even have snow for Halloween sometimes, like we had in Michigan, all the more reason to sip Cider by the light of the TV! Enjoy ..

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So funny! We live on a street that is a horseshoe which seems to run uphill both ways on Halloween. When our son was young we and our fellow parent neighbors would haul our little people with little legs all around the hill, and through the Revolutionary War cemetery that sits between the North and South side of the roads, to trick or treat in the dark. Yes, we thought this would be fun for them. There were tons of kids on the street at the time, and we bought LOTS of candy. I too bought early and had to re-buy just before Halloween. We never made to to star status though, like Gladys, an elderly single woman who gave out FULL sized candy bars. After a few years of this terrifying and often frozen trek, we started DRIVING the kids around to the houses. Pathetic. Eventually, our son started going to teen Halloween parties, and we would leave candy out and go to dinner. But we would come home and almost all of the candy would still be in the bowl. Our street had cycled out of Halloween; it was too steep and too long for kids to walk now, there were fewer kids, and they preferred to trick or treat efficiently--to go to the town Halloween Walk (which was flat) and get candy from the businesses...or to find a cul de sac that was densely populated and easy to walk, and trick or treat there. It was about quantity and efficiency, not visiting your neighbors and showing off your costume. My birthday is the day before Halloween (aka Mischief Night) so it had been a special holiday for me; but now it's just a night out for dinner. Where should we go?

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Yeah, but...Reeses Pieces...who could resist.

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You are too funny! I like being part of Halloween. I live in that perfect “Halloween Neighborhood”, you know the one where the parents shuttle the kids in on faux hay carts. I enjoy it so much I invite a few friends to partake in the event. We sit in the front yard with two fire pits and other things that glow and welcome all. It’s a feel good feeling to belong to a night of colors, characters and smiles. I bought my candy in September because I wanted to make sure I got the ones the kids like the most. 🎃👻

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