A WICKED GOOD TIME

 

 

Fun. That is the one word for Halloween. It’s a holiday that is not linked to any emotions except going out and having a little fun by getting goosebumps by things that go bump in the night.

I still have fond memories of going to my grandmother’s place for Halloween night. She lived in a small town called Leonidas in Michigan where everyone knew everyone back then. My uncle would always make sure we had a huge pile of leaves for my cousins and me to jump in while waiting for it to get dark so we could turn into trick or treating ghouls.

The scariest thing back then was walking by an elderly woman’s house who chose not to entertain trick or treaters and turned all her lights off. What was behind those dark windows, what was she like, was she a witch…our imaginations made it even more fun.

Today’s world is different. With kids having to have their bags of candy checked for dangerous objects, Covid and not knowing all your neighbors, trick or treating is just not as fun as it used to be. Many churches and other institutions offer alternatives with hosting trunk or treat in their parking lots. Although fun, it’s just not the same.

However, if you want something a little more family and small group oriented, you can still have a wicked good time on Halloween. With just a little imagination, spook night can still be eerie, creepy and downright scary…in a fun way!

 

STORIES BY THE FIRE. There is something about the dark in itself that conjures up images of ghosts, boogeymen and other scary demons. When I was a kid, we had a creek with a woods that lie beyond it. To get to the woods, you had to walk down a quarter mile lane. I was determined one year to conquer my fear of the darkness and walk down there alone.

 

Going down was fine because I had the lights and security of the house behind me. Coming back was a different story. My imagination filled me with all sorts of scenarios of who or what was lurking behind me. Imagined threats are often scarier than the real ghouls.

 

A simple bonfire and a few tall tales can accomplish the same thing. There is always a storyteller or two in a group. A couple years ago I was sitting by the fire with two grandsons. All I did was start talking about what could be in the barn behind us…way out in the dark. I had such a captive audience until the younger one decided he needed to go to the house and check on Grandpa…he never returned. Mission accomplished.

 

HAYRIDES. If you live in the country and can wind your way around some fields or paths in the woods, you are all set. Don’t always think you have to have a huge wagon and lots of hay or straw. Improvise with small trailers with a couple blankets thrown on, various ATV vehicles like Quads, Polaris Rangers and the like. Just like a bonfire, a ride at night is altogether different than by day.

To make it even more interesting, have a couple friends dressed up hidden along the way. At strategic points, they can jump out and tell a ghoulish story or two, just be careful if you have wee little ones with you. The idea is to scare them for just one night, not for the rest of their lives!

There is a swampy area just a few blocks from my hometown’s downtown that is known as Dead Man’s Hollow. The main gist of the legend is that a man killed his wife and then hung himself there while another version is that men kept dying in that spot while digging a failed canal. Whatever actually happened, there is still a general feeling of unease for anyone passing through as they go from a small town neighborhood into a deep woods. And at Halloween…well, you can just imagine!

We have told this story at bonfires and on hayrides many times. Even though the area is two miles away, it makes for some great Halloween fun.

 

DRESS UP AND SPOOK SOMEONE. There was a group of ten of us who used to get together once a month or so and do something fun and each year the Halloween party was usually at our house. One year we took the party to the guests instead of vice versa.

 

We put on our grim reaper costumes, drove down the road from some friends’ houses and parked. We then walked up to the door and knocked. When they opened the door, we only used hand motions to communicate since they would know our voices. It was fun watching them try to guess who we were. We did this to four different couples and they never did guess who their “guests” were. This memory still comes up every year about this time for all of us.

 

CRASH A PARTY. Lots of folks say they don’t want to dress up because everyone guesses who you are right away and there is no fun in that. Well, that’s only if you don’t do it right. This was a little extreme, but one year we took off on a whim to visit our daughter and family who we knew went all out for Halloween by decorating their whole woods and having a party.

She lived 500 miles away so she never dreamed on us showing up. We managed to call her that day and tell her to have a good time (while we were on our way there!). We parked down at the neighbors and walked up to her place during the height of the party. Wearing the grim reaper outfits again and remaining mute, we ate, drank, shook hands with others and mingled for a couple hours before she actually came up to us and asked who we were! Such fun!

You could do this a little closer to home if someone you know is having a bash. If you arrive with some flair, it’s even more fun. Dance your way in; if you are apt, walk in juggling; have a bowl full of wrapped miniature candy bars and offer them to each guest. The more creative, the more the fun!

 

HAUNTED HOUSES. If you are into the Halloween spirit but don’t want to go to a lot of work to have a little fun, grab a friend or someone and check out a haunted house…uh, one that’s open to the public that is!

Our group went to a haunted house about 20 miles from our place a few years back. We had a frightening good time and didn’t have to lift a finger to do any work.

My grandson and I went to a haunted house a couple years ago. It was a rainy, gloomy night that added to the scary scene. He was 13 at the time. We had a ball! He went through behind me and kept poking and grabbing me at the darkest places. To exit, we had to slide from the top floor in an old-fashioned fire escape. A couple feet from the exit, I literally got stuck because I went feet first (what was I thinking!). He had to push me out, right into a mud puddle.

I had screamed so much that I lost my voice and had to sit on an old towel because I was all wet to get home. We laughed so hard all the way home, over such simple things!

Halloween is supposed to be fun and there are countless ways of getting in on the ghoulish, scary things that go bump in the night that make this holiday just pure fun!