The Absent Uncle: Halloween memories

As we enter the end of the month of October and see all the hoopla surrounding the costumes, food, safety advice, and scary activities, I am reminded of the years that I and my family lived outside of Wichita, Kan., while our son was growing up through the 21 years we lived there.

I am not a big Halloween guy. I’m not an anti-Halloween person by any stretch. I tried to be into the holiday when I was much younger, but it just wasn’t a great time.

As I said, we lived outside of Wichita, in a rural area, not in a neighborhood. Nevertheless, we stocked up on candy, had our porch lights on, and at the end of the evening we still had a lot of candy.

As our son was entering school age, we reckoned it was best that we let him team up with school mates and walk the suburban neighborhood they lived in. The costume was important in the younger years, and year by year, the trick or treat candy take in the pillowcase he carried became much more important than a costume.

We dutifully walked behind his group as it seemed hundreds of parents did the same. Sharing information about particularly scary streets (and generous goodies)!

But my main memory are the conditions on Oct. 31 in Kansas:

• One year we wandered around in t-shirts, sandals, and still were hot.

• One year we wandered around in parkas, stocking hats, and were still very cold.

• Most years a light jacket sufficed, except for one year when it rained 7 inches from 4 p.m. to midnight. The pillow case haul took a hit that year.

So, as we anticipate the Oct. 31, 2022 festival, we need to decide: porch lights out, house dark or here you go kids – trick or treat!