What’s the Best Part of October? [POLL]

October has arrived, and I’m OK with it.  I can deal with October for a few reasons.  It’s a pretty time of year with the fall foliage and mums and all.  And thankfully it’s not parka weather yet.  If I do have to wear a parka in October, I may consider moving south.  October is fine with me because it’s not November.  When November rolls around, it means December is just around the corner.

But October is cool, especially with Halloween at the end of it.  I’m a big fan of Halloween and always have been.  I don’t like being scared, I can’t watch scary movies, and I’m afraid of the dark.  But there’s something I love about it.

I have so many fond memories of Halloween as a kid.  I grew up in a small town where Halloween was a big deal.  We went trick-or-treating for hours and hours.  We never checked our candy before we ate it, and yet I don’t recall anyone getting poisoned.  Gory costumes were fine; in fact, the gorier the better!

• Halloween Happenings in South Jersey

When my kids were little, Halloween was lots of fun for me.  I loved coming up with costume ideas when my kids were too young to object to them.  I don’t mean to brag, but my son was the only ‘Elvis’ in kindergarten, and he looked awesome!  The other kids were clueless, but the teachers got a kick out of it.

Then we moved and at the new school kids could wear black and orange, but no costumes for Halloween.  They could change into costumes after school for a parade and party.  What????

Halloween is no time to be politically correct, I thought.  The best part of Halloween at school was trying to maneuver around in your costume all day.  Plus you never got any real work done.  Everyone was too busy checking out everyone else to see who had the best costume.

Well, my kids aren’t little anymore, but they still go out trick-or-treating.  Oops…don’t tell the trick-or-treat police!  I remind my kids to be mindful of the little ones and always be polite, no matter what they get.  I say be glad you’re getting treats at all, and most importantly, save the best treats for me.  After all, I love Halloween!

And this year I will be dressing up once again.  But I’m not going to tell you what I’m going to be, just in case I show up on your porch with the rest of the neighborhood kids.  One thing’s for sure…on Halloween night, I’m just a kid too.