The Fresh Perspective...

Do you costume?

Halloween! It’s coming!! So what are your plans? Do you have a costume already lined up? Do you hand out candy? Are you like me and do nothing? Yup, I don’t Halloween. I just eat the candy.

My parents immigrated to Canada when I was five years old. They could never get behind the concept of Halloween and trick or treating. They didn’t understand why anyone would go door to door asking for candy. Strangers essentially, giving your small child a treat! But before all of this can happen, you need to dress up in a costume (anything actually) to ring the bells of the treat givers and demand your booty! They thought it was quite rude and strongly discouraged us. Actually, they just said, ‘No! You’re not going door to door asking for candy from strangers dressed up as someone else! No!’ Case closed.

Now that I am not five years old and have children of my own, I’m faced with all the questions about why I don’t dress up. Everyone always seems to feel bad for my kids. Like they are missing out on some integral part of being a North American child! I grew up here, didn’t trick or treat , and I had a fantastic childhood. It’s possible! You don’t need to trick or treat to know how great of a place Canada is to live.

So my kids don’t trick or treat, but they dress up for school. They get a boatload of candy from their father and I, not to mention the stuff they bring home from school. They celebrate Halloween even though I don’t and it’s fine. Will I dress up for my shift if it falls on Halloween? Don’t count on it, but I will eat the candy!

That’s the fresh perspective…