Halloween
Don Coldsmith
Originally published 03:01 p.m., October 22, 2007
Updated 03:01 p.m., October 22, 2007
Yes, I know Halloween isn’t until next week, but I had some stories about it that I want to use. If I wait until next week, there’s something else coming up which may prove even scarier than ghosts and goblins: Elections!
But, back to Halloween, and the changes over the pasts 50 years or so. It wasn’t always the cute little costumes and “trick or treat.” That’s strictly post-World War II. Prior to that, it could be pretty dangerous, with quite a bit of vandalism. Definitely, no time for little kids in cute costumes to be out.
When we moved to our present home, with our five girls of assorted ages from one to the ‘teens, we were far out in the country. Still, we figured that some of our town friends would think about “What a place for Halloween decoration!” We’d better do a little decorating.
We had some pretty creative kids, and I was called upon to assist. We strung a clothesline cord from one of the porch pillars near the front door to one of the higher branches of a cedar tree beyond the west end of the porch. A “ghost” made of a bed sheet, a soccer ball and appropriate black watercolor eyes and mouth — well, you get the idea.
We could pull the ghost up into the tree, out of sight. One operator would be stationed behind the tree when a car approached on the road. Trick or treaters would ring the doorbell and out of the darkness of the cedar would swoop a ghost on a pulley, almost directly toward the front door.
The porch is about 50 feet from end to end. This left a substantial distance from the time the ghost left the darkness of the tree until it reached the area with the trick-or-treaters. If they were close enough to ring the doorbell, the ghost would swoop in almost BEHIND them, out of the night.
We only did that for two or three years, as I recall. It was just a little too real for some of the younger trick or treaters. We finally had to admit that for really small trick or treaters it might be too much of a good thing. We drew the line when one little spook not only burst into tears, but wet his pants. Well, you can’t win ‘em all, I guess.
We backed off in favor of some more conventional orange and black stuff which would look like everyone else’s.
Sometimes I think we’ve destroyed a lot of artistic imagination with our cookie-cutter civilization, stamping out identical indignities for seasonal decorations. There was once a more creative urge, a genuine stimulation of intellect, a reason to be creative.
Now, it doesn’t matter. The whole country — no, the whole world is decorated with virtually identical, not really interesting trash (well, next week’s trash, made in China, probably, with a questionable safety record).
But it’s quick, it’s easy, it spares us from having to think. Just look on the Internet.
I met a history professor at a luncheon a few years ago who asked me if I do my historical research on the Internet. No, I explained, I want the OLDEST verification I can find.
Her answer was quite a surprise.
“Good! I make my students verify with two other historical sources.”
Of course, that’s the point. If you have to verify, start with authentic sources. It’s much easier in the long run, in any sort of research, to use legitimate references.
See you down the road.
Author and columnist Don Coldsmith lives in Emporia.