Appeee Aweeeen!

Halloween 2011 proved to be the most fun for the kids and me yet.  While the oldest two perfected their aim with air rifles at 4-H, I took the youngest 3 trick-or-treating with our neighbors.

Due to our countrified neighborhood which lacks sidewalks, the folks around here buckle up their kids and drive them next door to the townhouse community.  Once there, the kids can collect the maximum amount of candy with the least amount of walking.  It's like Candyland, complete with a few scary witches and fairies.

At first my 3-year-old had no idea what we were doing.  He refused to walk up to a stranger's house.  He wouldn't look at the nice but unknown face. Until......until he realized chocolate was involved.  Two houses later he was elbowing his way through a crowd twice his height.  He pushed to the front of the crowd to sing, "Appeee Aweeeen!"

All that shoving paid off.  My kids brought home pounds and pounds of their favorite confectionary delights.  But our night didn't end there like it does for most of America.

Instead, we roasted marshmallows with our next door neighbors.  The temperate weather allowed us to comfortably stand there burning every white puff to a blackened crisp.  Truly, our camp fire was as fun as the candy crawl.

Tonight reinforced my feelings on this cultural holiday. Getting outside to meet and enjoy the neighbors is what Halloween has come to mean to Americans these days.  Kids dress up in costumes of whatever they love or always wanted to be.  With all the sweets thrown in, the whole feel is truly jubilant.

Of course, there's another custom to this festivity that won't make it into the cartoon commemorations.  Every year, moms are sneaking into their kids' stash, and I won't neglect that important tradition of this national diversion.