The Death of Halloween!

I have always loved Halloween. When we first got married, we would go all out in decorating. We had torches lining the sidewalk, scary music playing and things that jumped out at you. I would carve many pumpkins that we would set in the flower beds. Then we had Jake. It was then that Halloween started to change. The realization was that we weren't supposed to scare the kids to death before they made it to the door. We went from giving away mounds of candy to goodie bags filled with more toys than goodies. Twinkling lights and ghouls on sticks replaced the torches. Our real pumpkins have been replaced by large plastic things with lights in them. I decided I wasn't going to be the one to gut the pumpkins this year. My husband refuses to gut a pumpkin because of the way it "feels". I find this hard to believe considering he is an Ob/Gyn physician. Just think of where his hands have been and the inside of a pumpkin freaks him out???Hmmm...Anyway, Jake has decided that he will no longer trick or treat. This year, he and a few friends went off to play Laser Tag then back home for pizza.  While I sat with my husband on the front porch handing out candy, the boy was at his computer trying to conquer the universe. It's not the same. I still enjoy seeing the kids in costume and handing out candy. But I miss dressing up my little goblin, sending him out with his father to go door to door, then raiding his candy after he is in bed. Next year, maybe we"ll add a little music, or a jumping spider. But I refuse to carve the pumpkin! Take care!