BOO!

Guess what we're writing about now ;)

Halloween, the lost holiday of my youth. Ah, the giant bags of candy that found their way into my childish fingers. Armed with nothing more than a paper sack, a cheap costume, a few aging eggs, a bar of soap, and some shaving cream, one could run wild for one glorious night looting and pillaging. Even in the small town where I grew up, it was a simple matter to extort enough sweet treasure from the cowering residents to stay sick from sugar abuse for days.

Then some *&*^&% started putting razor blades in apples. As if one sick individual wasn't bad enough, there were so many others that considered maiming children a fun hobby, that we've lost Halloween. Sure, it's still marked on the calender, and Big Candy still uses it as a marketing tool, but the spirit is gone. In these modern times, it's all safety coated and sanitized for your protection. There's no edge, no adventure, no fun. Parents can't stand on the corner and chat while their progeny hit up a block. Now they have to tag along to every single house, and then they have to inspect your loot!

Of course, that's also the reason the offerings are so poor. With your parents watching over your shoulder, how can you and the horde get the message across to the health Nazis who hand out tiny boxes of raisins instead of huge chocolate bars? Face it, adult supervision tends to cut down on your chances of egging this type of spoil sport into understanding the true meaning of Halloween. Trick or treat. That battle cry held power in my day. Now, it translates as , "Treat please." Our children have been reduced from conquering warriors, to trembling beggars, and it breaks my heart.

the Grit