One of my favorite holiday songs from elementary school had a refrain that I still sing every fall.

H - A - Double L - O - W - Double E - N spells Halloween

So today was the night of magic, a co-opted holiday where children and adults lose themselves in a little bit of fun. Luis took the children out to trick-or-treat with our friends and their son while Simon and I handed out candy. I was a little sad that we only had four teens trick-or-treating this year. Some people harp on older children coming out to trick-or-treat, especially when they don't do much for a costume. I prefer this viewpoint. It makes me happy to see older children embracing the magical spirit of childhood and coming out for trick-or-treat. I have large handfuls of treats for all children who visit our front porch, regardless of age or costumes.

We cut our own children's trick-or-treat time a little short this year due to the fact that they have been up too late too many nights in the last week. Even with their coming in about twenty minutes early, they still had quite a bounty of treats. Doritos seemed to be a popular thing to pass out this year, as well as KitKats and Gummy items. Bubble gum seems to be falling from favor, but prepackaged popcorn balls growing in popularity. The children had more than enough treats to split up between our home, our friends' home and the home of a third friend whose children were unable to trick-or-treat due to travel plans, with each household getting more than enough. Sharing is a good thing.

Happy Halloween and Happy Samhain to all!