Trick or Treat!

I'm not sure how old I was, but my earliest trick-or-treating memory is of walking up our driveway between my parents, my little hands in theirs, and singing Halloween songs.

Halloween songs, you ask? Yes. My father taught me one; my mother taught me another. I have never heard them anywhere else and don't even know where they learned them, but I have to sing them every Halloween. I have to.

My father's was a fun one.

We are jack-o-lanterns. Boo! Boo! Boo!
We are out to get you! Boo! Boo! Boo!
We have teeth but cannot bite,
In our heads a shining light,
Don't you think we're funny? Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-heeeeee! Boo! Boo! Boo!

My mother's was:

Jack-o-lantern, jack-o-lantern, you are such a funny sight,
As you sit there in the window looking out at the night.
You were once a yellow pumpkin hanging on a sturdy vine,
But now you're a jack-o-lantern, see your candlelight shine.

Anyone know them?

Our trick-or-treating when I was younger was probably a lot different from most. We lived out in the country, so neighborhood trick-or-treating wasn't an option. We also only went to the homes of people we knew personally. So we walked around the "neighborhood" to four or five houses. We were the only trick-or-treaters that came out that far, so each of the neighbors had a special treat bag made up for us, full of goodies.

Then we came home and my dad took us for driving-trick-or-treat. We went to my grandparents' house, the homes of aunts and uncles, and a few friends from church who lived near them or on the way, also my dad's boss.

So trick-or-treating became a time to briefly visit with friends and family rather than a time to go traipsing from street to street and house to house.

We almost never got trick-or-treaters at our house, so the actual "treating" part of trick-or-treat was not something I ever experienced. Once we were too old for trick-or-treating, it was a pretty noneventful night at our house.

And then I moved to my first house, out on my own. And wow, was trick-or-treat ever different there! I was fortunately forewarned by a neighbor, otherwise I would have been completely unprepared on Halloween night. The entire town came to OUR street to trick-or-treat, everyone sat out by the street, and they just came by in streams. It was unbelievable, from start to finish, I did nothing but reach in bags and hand out candy. We easily got 300 trick or treaters in an hour.

And now I have another experience, but this one is stranger than either of those. Now I'm living in a nice little subdivision-style neighborhood... but I hardly get any trick-or-treaters. I got six tonight. In two hours. It's not that the trick-or-treaters aren't out there; it's just that they are lazy!! Seriously! I can't tell you how many times I looked out the window to see groups of children walking right on by. The light is on, so it's clear I'm giving out candy, but they are too lazy to walk up my semi-steep driveway. (It really isn't all that steep. A medium grade perhaps, and only the length of two cars.) Kids are lazy, I tell you!! Oh, well. The six who braved my driveway got all the candy. Happy Halloween! :)

I'm not the only one, I know. I spent the entire trick-or-treat time on the phone with a friend who only got three at her house.

Little Girl dressed as Alice in Wonderland this year. My grandmother made her the dress for the Wonderland Tea she attended at Disney World this past winter, and she was so gorgeous in it, it had to be worn again. Baby Boy was Mickey Mouse. (Who says we're Disneyites!? ;) )

What about you? How was trick-or-treating at your house this year? Who did your kids dress as?