[geeks] Halloween

[N. Miller]

--On Monday, November 03, 2003 10:39 AM -0500 "Michael A. Turner" 
<mturner at whro.org> wrote:


> 	I did some thinking on the nature of Halloween this Halloween while
> taking my kid around my sisters neighborhood. Halloween is the last good
> holiday left. Explore my reasoning with me if you will. First off the cost
> of entry into it is low. $5 for candy. $20 for a costume maybe. What it
> gives back is a lot more. You get in touch with your local community. AS
> we wandered the streets of my sisters new neighborhood I was struck on
> how much the older people really enjoyed seeing the children all dressed
> up. The Smiles and waves from the people at the doors and the parents on
> the streets. My sister has lived in her new home for 9 months now and has
> met hardly any of the neighbors. This night we met 20 of them.
> 	With society more and more isolating the individual through violence
> and fear shown from our TV screens I think Halloween is the last bastion
> of societal commitment that a majority of the population enjoys. All other
> holidays are invariably about the family, Christmas, thanksgiving, etc.
> Halloween is the only holiday, heck even event, were we must mingle with
> our group in order to participate. No matter how commercialized this day
> becomes at the core it is still about the community and that will always
> be it's saving grace IMHO.

Interesting take on things.  I'd have to agree--this neighborhood is
the first where I've known my neighbors, but I've lived here since
'96.  Before that, we always lived in apartments where everyone
moves all the time--no one bothers to introduce themselves to their
neighbors.

Halloween is getting to be one of the *big* adult holidays as well
--many adults like the license of the holiday allowing them to
dress up and pretend to be someone else.

I've always enjoyed the costume part of Halloween--it's fun to think
up something new and interesting to wear to surprise my friends.
The last couple of years are the first in over a decade where I
haven't gone to some kind of Halloween costume party.

=Nadine=