An H1N1 Halloween

Here's a summary of a great article by Mary K. Nolan that was published in today's Hamilton Spectator:

Some moms and dads may question the wisdom of allowing their kids to mingle at Halloween parties or go door-to-door when the flu virus is already getting around quite effectively on its own.

Germy doorbells and communal candy bowls seem like ideal vehicles for helping it along.

Here's some advice:

* When kids come to the door, don't let them fish around in the candy bowl for their goodies, drop treats in the kids' bags individually.

* Wash store-bought masks before allowing kids to wear them. You never know who has tried them on ... or what germs they had.

* Homeowners should wipe down their doorbell, knocker or knobs throughout the evening; kids should wear gloves with their costumes, use hand sanitizer between homes and keep their hands away from their faces.

* Sick children should stay home no matter how much they beg; sick parents shouldn't hand out treats.

* Don't eat any candy that isn't wrapped, for more reasons than H1N1.

* No bobbing for apples, if anybody actually does that anymore.

* And no "a bite for you, a bite for me" sharing of candies.

* When they get home, kids should decide what they want to eat, unwrap it without touching the edible part, wash their hands and then dig in.

* Wash hands.

* Wash hands.

* Wash hands.

Have a happy & healthy Halloween.

Costume Craze

It's ridiculous, really. The amount of money we spend on our children's Halloween costumes is criminal when you stop to consider that they'll wear them only a handful of times. It's one thing when the child is whining & carrying on to the point where shop clerks are ready to call mall security. It's quite another when the so-called responsible parents are fighting over the last Cinderella costume at the Disney Store.

My question is this: whatever happened to making Halloween costumes? We used to get creative & come up with truly one-of-a-kind get ups that matched no other. Why are we suddenly so keen to spend $50 and up on an outfit that's usually used for a few hours &, more often than not, covered up by a parka (good ol' Ontarian weather at the end of October!)?

It's almost taboo to say mom or dad made your costume, isn't it? But I recall a time when purchasing a costume meant wearing one of those horrid masks that made you sound like Darth Vader & had tiny little cutouts for eyes. And THAT was meant to be upscale Halloween gear!!!

I recall one year...I was seven or eight years old...and I had just recovered from either chicken pox or mumps. Hmmm, or perhaps it was flu. Regardless - I had forgotten all about Halloween. That evening, Tony Cacciola & Nicky Battista showed up at my house, ready to go trick-or-treating. To my utter dismay, I didn't have a costume. Quick as a whip, however, my mother assembled a makeshift costume out of a burlap sac, a length of rope, someone's cane, a fake bird (taken from some God-awful flower arrangement), and tin foil. Right before Tony & Nicky's eyes, I transformed into St. Francis of Assisi. Oh yes, bird perched on my shoulder & staff (well, cane!) in hand. Original? Oh yeah!

Could you imagine some poor kid showing up as St. Francis of Assisi nowadays? Hardly likely. Things are too easy - too convenient. And yet, I can't help but surf the Indigo website & pick up my children's costumes online, only to have them shipped straight to my door. Bad on me.

Happy Halloween everyone.