Halloween…..
I remember the good ole days of dressing up like a Ninja Turtle and driving around the countryside to trick or treat. These are some of my fondest memories and I wish everyone could experience Halloween just as I did. However, things have changed since I was a youngster. The economy isn’t as bright and cheery, gas is more expensive, and neighbors have seemingly become more creepy. This is a problem… And what is the remedy you may ask?
Well, I’ll tell you. Trunk or Treat!
Halloween night I traveled home to Dickson, Tennessee to volunteer at my hometown church’s Trunk or Treat. First of all, I want to note that a trunk or treat is an incredible PR move for the church. Not only does it offer children a safe place to trick or treat, but it’s just an excellent way to bring members of the community together in celebration. This year Dickson First United Methodist hosted over 2,000 people for our annually growing event!
This year (dressed as Han Solo) I manned the Haunted House truck-bed my family constructed. As hundreds and hundreds of trick or treaters visited our trunk, exhaustion began to set in. Luckily my 21 month old nephew Jayden, brilliantly dressed as a dog, was there to give some relief. I thought holding him would just give my dad a break, but it wound up being much more than that.
I’ve heard over and over again how babies are always learning, but Jayden really taught me something that night. After watching me take candy from our bowl and distribute it to the bypassing children, he wanted a piece of the action. As the next group of trick or treaters walked by, I noticed Jayden was holding a bag of Gobstoppers in his outstretched hand. He gently dropped the candy into the Optimus Prime’s bag like it was no big deal. I laughed, thinking it was pretty cool, but before I knew it he was putting a Twix bar into Tim Tebow’s bag too. For the next 15 minutes I just held him as he gave Sweet Tarts, Snickers, and Reese’s cups to the oncoming Tinkerbells, Darth Vaders, and Buzz Lightyears.
I was just overtaken as he was clearly mastering the art of candy distribution. I can’t be sure if he was wanting to be like me, but one thing is for sure - In the midst of the discombobulating festivities of Halloween he was handling this crucial job. I have to say that I’m astonished every time I spend time with Jayden. Last month, for example, he showed me his fascination of the moon. I took him outside to play on the porch around dusk, but before I could sit him down he began pointing to the sky and shouting “mooooooooon!” I didn’t even know he could say moon, much less identify the floating mass in the sky! What can I say, my nephew rocks.
To summarize, having a nephew is the greatest and trunk or treats rock.
