Is it possible to turn the clock back? It turned back in my neighborhood a few days ago, on Halloween night. Or at least that's the way it seemed. I felt as though I was in Mayberry, circa 1955. My community became the quintessential small town, with people sitting on their front steps and greeting passersby. Others were walking through the streets, with or without children. Many wore costumes.
My daughter met more neighbors on Halloween night than she has met in the year we've lived in this community. I watched, and let her do the socializing.
Halloween actually began in this community more than a month ago. That's when I noticed people starting to put up Halloween decorations. I'd never seen so many decorations for this holiday in my life.
There were witch covens--several, on different lawns, in front of different homes. There was a larger-than-life skeletal dog that barked and growled when I passed by. There was twelve-foot werewolf, with a torn shirt, and glowing eyes that blinked.
One house had the entire yard covered in animated glowing, blow-up characters. The picture below was taken early in October.
As the days passed, the home owner kept adding to the display. By Halloween night, the blow-up characters extended to the edge of the yard. There were even sound effects.
My family was ready for Halloween, we felt, though we didn't have the theatrical aspirations manifested by many of our neighbors. My daughter decorated the house, mostly with items she had saved from years before, and from a few inexpensive accents purchased this year. Here's how the front window looked.
She fashioned the character from stuffing (an old U-Haul drop cloth), a well-worn shirt, and pants.
She decorated the shrubs in front of the house. Here you can see a skull, a crossbone, and skeleton arms extending from the branches.
She even fashioned a ghoul to haunt the front yard. This she made from an old Halloween costume, which she draped over a small tree.
We had candy piled into colorful platters. Here is a picture of one platter after goblins had visited and filled their treat bags.
My daughter dressed the dog in bat wings.
And put on a modified version of the costume she'd worn to work that day (she works in a school where everyone wore costumes).
She sat in a chair on the yard with bat dog, and waited for trick-or-treating goblins.
It was quite an afternoon. Everyone was in a festive mood. People stopped and introduced themselves. I was upstairs and could hear them in the street.
Sometime after seven my daughter and the dog came in. We left the candy out, but took it in a little after eight. We had no concern there would be mischief.
That night we walked around the neighborhood. People were going from house to house, socializing. Backyard parties were in evidence. If anyone passed us on the street, we'd get a friendly, "Hello". Neighbors were sitting on their porches.
There were also skeletons on the porches :) Some of them had skeleton dogs with them, as this one did.
It felt almost as though I was in a TV sitcom. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. I finally understood what all the Halloween decorations were about. The community was getting ready for a holiday, for a celebration of shared culture.
Most days, I walk around my neighborhood at least a couple of times. I do it for exercise, and also to walk the dog when my daughter is at work (it's her dog). A little while back I started noticing political signs going up on lawns and porches.
One house on my block has a huge Trump flag where there used to be an American flag. In the back window of that neighbor's car is a decal that says, Kamala, you're fired!
Almost directly across the street from that home is a house with a large Harris Waltz sign. Other signs this house displays read, We're not going back, and Women for Harris.
This country, my country, is poised for conflict. We are divided. Passions run high. Oh wow did we need Halloween.
Nobody cares who you're voting for, or what your political beliefs are on Halloween night. We don costumes, walk around the neighborhood and keep an eye out for the children who are trick or treating.
Another collection of Halloween blow-up figures.
The much-contested election is just days away. And yet, everyone came together on Halloween night.
That is the function of ritual, of custom. These are the ties that bind. We can disagree about so much. We can be different. Have different religions. Different political views. We can have vastly different incomes. Some of our homes are grand, and some are quite small, and old. But on this one night, when ghouls and goblins are invited to stroll the streets, a spell is cast. It is a spell that says we are a community. We care about each other. Differences may distinguish us, but they don't separate us.
Before I end this blog I should make clear that I'm not what is called a 'social' person. I won't be having my neighbors to tea, and I won't be sitting on their porches. But I hope to bake the nearest neighbors cookies, and hand these out in fancy tins at Christmas.
I like my front door. I like the fact that it closes and locks. But if my neighbor's car won't start, or a dog gets lost, or the neighbor seems to need help of any kind, I'll be there.
A friendly, "Hello". A shared sense of good will. That's what community is to me, and I think after Halloween night I'm well on my way to having that.
Thank you for reading my blog. Peace and health to all my readers. Hive on!
***All pictures in this post were taken by me馃摳