Hi Bakasi,
I like your tradition better than the one we have here. I'll admit that I enjoyed trick-or-treating as a child, but for me it was innocent. I've seen enough "tricks" (toilet papered trees, smashed pumpkins, soaped windows) since then that I've come to somewhat dread Halloween myself, and I agree that it seems rather blackmail-y. (I've been fortunate in that the tricks rarely happened to me or my property.)
I'll also admit that in one way it is by far the hardest holiday for me. My son has some pretty major special needs: He is severely affected by autism and has such a major cognitive disability that at twenty years old, he has minimal communication skills and still needs constant supervision. I never took him trick-or-treating because of his special needs: He is an all-or-nothing person, and he wouldn't understand that on only one night of the year is it acceptable to go onto other people's properties and ring their doorbells. Even assuming he wasn't upset by the change of routine that trick-or-treating would necessitate, the one night of fun would likely undo the entire previous year's worth of trying to teach him appropriate behaviour regarding other people's property.
Whenever kids rang my doorbell while he was growing up, I did my best acting: I smiled and cooed over their costumes while I gave them each a piece of candy. But meanwhile, I couldn't help thinking of all the things that they could do that my son never could, and feeling a bit bitter that they weren't content with being able to talk, make friends, and know that someday they would be able to gain jobs and independence, and maybe even fall in love. No, they also wanted me to give them candy.
Yeah, when it comes to this particular holiday, I am rather bitter. I guess in that regard, I am a little like the titular character of my story, although I don't really consider the kids to be brats.
But at least I won't reuse any "decorative" toilet paper.
Thanks for sharing that picture. I love the beautiful lights; it seems like a sea of stained glass. Your tradition reminds me a lot of Christmas caroling or wassailing. Are there specific songs that are sung?
Joy,
Lynn
