There was a discussion last night at our house about Halloween. Last year we had just moved into this house when Halloween came and our son and his family came over to our house for supper followed by the children going trick or treat in our neighborhood. They live on a farm and it is difficult to get to the neighbors’ houses without driving. But our neighborhood is filled with houses close to one another, streets with sidewalks, and lots and lots of children. We were surprised by the number of children who came to our door seeking treats. It was fun. So this year, we’ve invited not only our son’s family, but another family whose children have become friends with our grandchildren. The time of the gathering isn’t a problem for us. We don’t have other meetings on the fifth Monday of the month. But it is a big deal for the children especially for the eleven-year-old, who wants to maximize the amount of time he has for going door to door collecting sweet treats.

The conversation left me thinking about how it was when I was a child. I don’t have a clear memory. Of course, Halloween must have landed on a school night most of the time. I do remember that we weren’t allowed to go out to visit the neighbors in our costumes until it got dark. Halloween sunset in the town where I grew up is about 15 minutes later than it is here where we are farther north, but it was around 6 pm. I think that meant that we had an early supper on Halloween. Supper wasn’t the big meal in the house where I grew up. Our noon meal with the big meal and we had lighter fare for supper, so there might have been a special supper. I don’t really remember.

We didn’t go out after supper much in our household. Getting to bed early to be ready for school the next day was important. And there usually was a bit of homework, a few chores, and other activities at our house. I’m pretty sure that we were allowed to be out a bit later than usual on Halloween, but I’m also pretty sure that we were home by eight pm. That left a couple of hours to collect treats, which would have been enough time to visit a lot of homes in my home town.

I’m thinking our grandchildren will have a similar amount of time. But that is quite a bit less than some children will have. Friday was the carnival at our grandchildren’s school. There were lots of candy treats available.

Yesterday there was a “Halloween on the Birm” event along the beach. Susan and I walked the mile and a quarter path out and back. It took us nearly an hour because of all of the people we were doing and all of the stands that were set up to hand out treats to children in costume. There was a special program at the library, but the main focus for the children was getting candy treats from all of the places set up for them. A child could have gone away from that event with their treat bag full.

Then today, there will be a “Trunk or Treat” event in the parking lot at our church. There will be more than a dozen cars with decorated trunks and treats available for children. Our grandchildren will probably get to make an appearance at that event in their costumes and collect a few treats. There will be refreshments for adults as well.

Judging from the number of adults we saw yesterday who were dressed up in costumes, there are plenty of parents for whom Halloween is a big deal. They might allow their children to attend several events where there is lots of candy.

By the time Halloween comes tomorrow, there will be quite a few children who have been living on a sugar high for several days. Something tells me Tuesday will be a particularly challenging day for teachers.

Maybe it is just growing older, but it seems to me that Halloween is a bigger deal these days than it was when I was a kid. I don’t remember wearing our costumes for more than just one evening. And we didn’t get treats from multiple events. I know that Halloween parties and trunk or treat events increased along with increasing awareness of child abuse a few decades ago. The increased involvement of adults, the intense decorating of homes and the expansion of adult costumes, however, seems to be even more recent.

Among the conversations at our house last night was a chat that began with a few comments about our antique clocks. Susan’s grandmother lived to be 100 years old and it has been 25 or more years since she died. We have a portrait of her as a baby that the kids were looking at and one of our clocks was purchased at a farm auction by her father. Somehow in the midst of the conversation, our eight-year-old granddaughter started imitating me, saying, “When I was a kid . . .” She came up with several zingers: “When I was a kid we had digital watches that displayed numbers.” “When I was a kid, we had a car that took gasoline.” “When I was a kid we had to walk all the way up the driveway after we got off the school bus.” She had us giggling.

It is interesting to speculate about what our grandchildren will remember about their school years when they become adults. I wonder if Halloween will continue to be a big deal in their lives.

Lest year when Halloween landed on a Sunday, there was talk among the church staff about whether or not people would wear costumes to church. We were not meeting in person for worship at the time, so only the church staff would be present in the sanctuary. I was tempted to quote 1 Corinthians to my colleagues: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” I’m glad I refrained. It might have just given them another example of how old I’ve become.

I don’t mind growing old. I just don’t want to become a cranky old man who complains all the time. I think I’ll try not to tell too many stories tomorrow evening.