Hallowe'en in the 'hood

Well today is the day when all the scary things roam the streets dressed in all sorts of different disguises. Or, if you are over 18 and female, that day was Saturday when everyone put on their best store bought trampy outfits and paraded around the city half-naked under the guise of it being a Hallowe'en costume. God help me, I went to a social on Saturday night (if you are unsure of how I feel about that, click the link). Let's just say, two trays of hot meatballs does not constitute a "hot lunch" (as my TWELVE dollar ticket promised). To be fair, the costumes were better than I expected and the homemade  vs. pre-packaged store bought was about an even split. And I think that a few years ago I made an equally good homemade Red Fraggle vs. the extremely expensive looking one I saw on Saturday.

So, Hallowe'en is this evening, and I won't be handing out candy tonight, for about the 4th year in a row. No, it is not because I'm terrified to open the door. Seriously, who are those people and would they please stop talking to the media! The first year I lived here I was SO excited about handing out candy - I even packaged it all in little bundles, ready to give each kid a baggie of sugary goodness. That, ladies and gents, has probably  been my biggest disappointment with the North End.

I will happily give candy to anyone young or old in a costume, however, wearing a mask from the dollar store and holding open a pillowcase does not get you the goods - unless you are under 10, in which case I understand the financial constraints your family might have, then you get candy. You also do not get to have candy for your sleeping infant (I was asked for that on numerous occasions) your baby barely looks old enough for solid food, yet alone candy. So this is one point where I concede I act a bit differently because of where I live. If I lived back in Charleswood and the dollar store mask wearing teenager wanted candy, they would get some - right after they sang I'm a little teapot or something equally ridiculous. Now, likely in the 'burbs I would also worry a little about those kids getting revenge expressing their dislike for my methods, as come November 1st you see smashed pumpkins in the streets all over town; however, here in the 'hood, I would fear that more than just pumpkins might get smashed; there is a slightly different set of social norms over here.

So that is when I feel most uncomfortable about living here in the North End, Hallowe'en. And I don't even feel scared about the actual night itself, more that I just don't like that I feel a bit bullied into spending my hard earned dollars on candy for people who don't put in an effort. If that's the thing that makes me feel the closest to unsafe and the way around it is to turn the lights off for 4 hours one day of the year, I guess I'm okay with that.