Ah. Few more days and Halloween will be in full swing. Little cute kids will be dressing up from fairies to princesses to every other character they want go dress up as. The neighborhood will have their decors up - some alongside their Christmas decors - cobwebs, webs, bats, etcetera.

Except that, we live in 2021 - the time the world got hit by the coronavirus. Is this the second time we did not have a "normal Halloween?"

But what was your normal Halloween before the pandemic?

In our small community way back, I don't remember if we ever thought of dressing up. Nope we never did. All that was important to me was or were the loot bags and that chance to go out with my older friends at night (because I used to have a curfew. I cannot hang out with friends beyond sundown because I was a little over 6 y.o then).

It was later on when I was older and in high school I think that the kids in our community started to dress up. It was an evolution of sorts. But by the time that evolution happened, I was no longer that kid eager to go out and grab a lot of loot. I was already part of the crew giving out the candies. And hanging out with friends start when the phone rings and the friend on the other end of the line confirms they already ran out of candies to give out. Then we all troop out.

We take some of the "rejected" packs of goodies from each of our pantries. Some of us who have younger siblings bribed our sibs to give them some. Not me. No joke. I would not want my younger brother crying because I took some from him. That will delay my going out. We go up to a park where we can feel the November breeze chew on some of the goodies we brought. I take the wafers and some candies, they take the chocs. Somehow now that I am taking account of what happened, I realized they had more than I did. Hey!

Around November and December there are two things that I usually look forward to (then) when I got older:

1.) Buying candies for the trick or treat

• I like buying and repacking them so every kid will get one of whichever we got from the grocery back when the economy was friendly.

2.) Buying gifts for family and friends

• I like wrapping them and writing on the greeting cards that say more than just the template "Merry Christmas"

Over time some changes happen. Save for number two, there was a less and less need for number one. I guess that depends now on the community you're in.

The BPO crowd (night shifters) do still host the usual trick or treat open for their families. Us, the morning shifters, have no life. Haha. I can only count the times we did try - just one! Also thanks to our BPO çrowd, their creativity transforms our floors fit for Halloween theme.

It was a curiosity. That variety in celebration or observation of an occasion. It seems that not everyone goes around, knocks on your door, and threatens you to give them a treat or be served with some trick for Halloween.

I doubt we have that here in Philippines though, right? Trick or treat is "treat or treat" here.

I think nowadays malls host the event. I doubt I ever experienced trick or treat here in our current neighborhood . Caroling, yes, but not trick or treat. Unlike the previous place we lived in.

Now that I am looking back and simulating the childhood experience in my head of walking around the neighborhood and anticipating goodies from all the houses; knowing who gives out the most expensive ones and who gives out the common ones; trading candies with friends along the way; to growing up and shedding off that involvement and turning to host and then to the now that I am just typing and yapping about the memories and knowing I do not eat chocolate even though as a kid and knowing everyone wants it, I'd protect it like crazy, I wonder who ate my chocolates then?

I remember spilling out the contents of my loot bag. I know there were chocolates there. But the next day memory is foggy. Can't remember if I gave up protecting the chocolates or my older brother tricked me into giving it to him. 🤔

What is your trick or treat story? Memory? Experience? Dream?

© Pichi28

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