That Halloween Magic

I remember chasing toddlers and pushing a stroller with a tired, crying baby on Halloween night. I envied the moms and dads who were holding wine glasses and walking casually as their independent kiddos ran to the door to knock and yell “trick or treat!” Oh how great it would be to have a simpler Halloween with my crew… Well, folks, we have now arrived.  My girls are big enough to use the potty before we leave and hold it for the duration of our walk. They can run up to doors while we wait on the street and they even remember to say “thank you,” most of the time. We are in a new Halloween phase and I am here for it. 

But even when my babies were screaming in the stroller and I had to protect them from darting into the dark streets, I always loved Halloween night. There is something magical about it. Something kinda “other-worldly.” 

It is so different from every other night of the year. 

So many people outside

We walk down sidewalks

And greet one another with waves and hollered “hellos”

We chat about the cute children 

We reunite with friends and neighbors we haven’t seen in a while.

We knock on doors and are greeted with smiles and gladness.

We excitedly give what is requested and are thrilled when the doorbell rings

There are groups gathered in driveways–neighbors, friends, and colleagues.

Firepits and lawn chairs 

S’mores and hot dogs

Conversation fills the dark night

It is so different from every other night of the year.

Halloween creates a connectedness between strangers–a night marked by giving and gratitude. Being outside, being friendly, and walking up to porches and initiating conversations is normalized on Halloween.

The process is simple, affordable and repeatable.

But we do it only once a year.

I’m not campaigning for a once a month candy spree and costume frenzy. I know “Halloween” itself is good to look forward to and enjoy once a year. 

But could we replicate the rest?

So many people outside

We walk down sidewalks and

Greet one another with waves and hollered “hellos”

We chat about the cute children 

We reunite with friends and neighbors we haven’t seen in a while.

We knock on doors and are greeted with smiles and gladness.

We excitedly give what is requested and are thrilled when the doorbell rings

There are groups gathered in driveways–neighbors, friends, and colleagues.

Firepits and lawn chairs 

S’mores and hot dogs

Conversation fills the dark night

Could this be any other night of the year?

A Tuesday in April?

A Friday night in July?.

Or a Monday in late November?

My family and your family could start a movement. We could go out of our way to get to know our neighbors. We could be inviters and hosts and conversation initiators. It doesn’t have to be complicated or planned way in advance or expensive. It can be potluck hot dog dinner after the kids’ soccer game. It can be a charcuterie night in the living room with drinks and conversation. It can be BYOD (bring your own dinner) and lawn chairs and meet in the driveway to eat and talk together. Halloween has always been a magical night for me because it is a sweet taste of sharing life with the people who live around me. It is a shared experience between the old and the young–the common denominator is simply that we are human.

Perhaps Halloween feels so magical because it is a taste of how things were intended to be and the life we were meant to live. Let's make it happen, friends.