By Simon Ambit
On a night filled with pillow case ghosts, front porch candy bowls, candle lit carvings, and sugar rush super heroes, Halloween can be a hectic experience if you measure success as a ratio of candy bars to the hour. Measuring it on other scales however, I have found it to yield a much higher return on investment.
Halloween night started off by getting our little rascals dressed to the sneakers in ninja suits and star wars attire, and it’s off to Grandma’s house. There is a transformation that takes place at the home of grandparents on Halloween night. Somehow, despite all instruction by parents to children and their grandparents, an infiltration of sugar saturation takes place amidst the hugs from Granny and the wrestling of Gramps. My sweet children walked into the home, and poof! Three little monsters on glucose overload flew out!
We were able to herd the kids into the vehicle and somehow kept them restrained in the seatbelts just long enough to drive the short distance to the assisted living home of the great grandparents. The stop here was a reminder of things that matter, as my family was welcomed with open arms by kind folks whom we didn’t even know. Yet they gave out as many hand pats and how do you do’s as candy bars.
In an effort to burn off some of the endorphins that now surged through their blood stream, we took the kids to the sidewalks where they could trick-or-treat for a while (or two). My hat is off to all you fine folks of the area that night. Many residents had gone out of their way to decorate their homes and yards for the kids. Homes were well lit and inviting, and many of you stood at the door or outside on the porch and were so cordial to my children. Everyone who walked around the neighborhoods was kind and courteous. We encountered a very courteous couple who were going around handing out candy and glow sticks and wishing all the kids a happy and safe Halloween. I was pleased to see a law enforcement officer politely patrolling the streets on an ATV.
As my little ones bounded from porch to porch, and dove from one candy bowl to the next, they were on cloud nine, and felt perfectly safe. Thank you for allowing my family the opportunity to have a good time in a safe of comfortable environment. When it comes to raising children they say “it takes a village.” I am confident that had we gone to other neighborhoods throughout Carbon and Emery County we would have had a similar experience. And I am honored to be raising my family in such villages as these. There were angels among the monsters!
I’ll see you next Halloween, and until then, may we continue find the goodness overpowering the scariness of the world.