Are you too old to enjoy Halloween?
I didn't think it was possible until The Associated Press came out with a report on trick-or-treating this week.
It turns out some children in their early teens, or even their pre-teen years, have a hard time getting adults to part with their Halloween candy.
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Scott Shelters
I gave up trick-or-treating at age 10 or so. I preferred to dress up and give out candy to visitors at my mother's house in Ellington.
Each year, we bought a lot of candy, spent hours decorating the house and lawn, and looked forward to Halloween for weeks.
We gave out candy to many young children, but if their parents were dressed up, they got candy too.
Some of my friends from school kept going door-to-door on our road for a few years after I did, and that was OK. We didn't interrogate them. They got their candy, and we sent them on their way.
I know not everyone feels the way I do about Halloween. Some people think of the annual holiday as an inconvenience. That's fine.
Times are tough economically, and candy isn't cheap, especially for people who get a couple hundred trick-or-treaters each year.
However, if there's a law that says area residents have to give out Halloween candy, I'm unaware of it. Maybe the people who give 12-year-olds a hard time for trick-or-treating shouldn't hand out candy to anyone.
For one thing, questioning a neighbor for something so insignificant is a waste of energy. Also, yelling at a kid for wanting candy might turn him or her off of trick-or-treating next year. Would you rather have them egging houses and cars? Maybe it's worth parting with a fun size Butterfinger.
I have an idea for those who are angered by Halloween and trick-or-treaters. They should go out to eat or catch a movie during trick-or-treating hours.
Like many others, I'll be dressed up, sitting on my porch and waiting for visitors on Halloween. I'll give a candy bar to anyone who wants one. Age won't be a factor.
If a 102-year-old dressed as Big Bird or Herman Munster comes walking up the steps, I'll have a Butterfinger waiting.