It was my first halloween year in US, it was a Saturday. Me and the LH were in the apartment busy with regular chores when the bell rang. The LH opened the door to see few kids dressed up, screaming Trick Or Treat. These kids were in the 8-10 age group, were not accompanied by adults, which later explained why they did not look out for the pumpkin before knocking. The LH totally confused, no clue whatsoever calls out for me. I came to the door and got equally lost. I thought it was the neighborhood kids playing a prank. Before this event, once a small girl, about 6-7 years.. knocked on our door, handed a flower[weed] and asked for 5 cents. She was collecting money for a school project. That thought flashed and I hinted the LH for a 5 cent maybe? Thank God, the LH did not agree, saving us from the laughter of the neighborhood. He politely asked, why are you’ll dressed up? The kids got excited to tell us, stepping on to each others words to get the message across. Their version was something like this – Oh, you know.. Its like.. you go knocking on the doors.. decorate the house with scary stuff.. like.. skulls.. and skeletons.. when kids come over and say trick or treat.. you should say treat and hand over candies. Else the kids will really really really.. scare you..
Huh! candy. Lets see – Do we have some candies for the kids? Yeah right, I think, if only I had a magic wand.
Well, we told the kids to come right back after about 10 minutes, the LH went to the nearby store and got some.


Every year since then, we light a pumpkin at the door and have a bowl of candies ready to be dispatched. Me and the LH had no kids then, but loved to watch the enthusiasm with which the kids all dressed up, walked on the streets knocking on the doors, with their still not so mature voice trying to scare the inmates – Trick? Or Treat? I remember once I said Trick to a 10 year old boy and he almost ran away.


After D came into our lives, the first year we parents had no enthu in taking her out to t-o-t as we were preparing to leave for an India trip and she was too young to understand. The second year, she was a little sick with cold and fever, and had no clue about the festive. She just had fun handing over the candies..

Year 3: 2 weeks before the day, her school asked us to get 2 pumpkins to paint. Apparently, the kids have been talking to each others about wearing a costume and sure my little girl wanted to wear one and go chrick-or-chreaching. She had no clue what a costume meant, but wanted one. I asked her if she wanted to be a caterpillar, bumble bee. No, she wanted to be costume, costume only. Period.. hmm.. I told her costume means a dress like her shirt, pant. Just that its not something you wear everyday. Its something like an animal.. bug.. spider.. She did not seem to get it and I was too lazy to get myself to the store.
Two days before Halloween, her teacher reminded me to get some treats for sharing. No sweets, no sugary items, would prefer stationeries, small toys or stickers, she said. I dropped her in school and went to a nearby store, grabbed the treats, a pea pod dress for the little one[wasn't planning but had to take it as it was cute and 4.99$ on sale] and a black kitty cat costume with a long pink tail for D. She came home that evening, super excited to see it. Immediately wanted to try it on. It did not fit. It was for a 2 year old accidentally put into a 3T cover. She howled and would not understand that it did not fit.
So, mother and daughter went to the store again, returned it and went into another store where they had lot more to select from. They had pictures of all the costumes available on the wall and had numbered them. You had to note the number and ask for it at the counter. The line was long as it was the day before halloween, but it took hardly 2 min for my little one to decide. The pink princess with a tiara it was. She stood there and said all she could to convince me why the pink princess was the best. Because it was pink and it was princess and it had a crown. Much that I wanted her to dress up as the spooky spidy OR atleast a caterpillar, or a bee, I was left with no choice. And that was the cheapest of all, was full sleeved[cold weather], did not have any fur attached to it. The next day[the day before halloween], the minute she entered the school, she announced. Hey guys, you know what. My mumma got my pink princess… with a crown… And new shoes and socks… And pant socks alsho[Tights, that is].

On the day of halloween, she woke up early, got dressed and was at her happiest. The LH was a little green that we ended up buying a pink princess dress, he thinks I am behind the conspiracy. [He is sure his daughter would have asked for a spiderman[huh?] dress, but the mother convinced her on a pretty pink costume]. Anyways, she got all dressed up, I dropped her in school. A little later I got the little one into her pea pod costume and went back to school to see the parade. D was super excited, after the parade was over, she was seen anywhere and everywhere she spotted a camera, giving a pose. And here I am struggling with the thought of putting her pic on the site.

That evening, she looked a little sick and it was cold here. Father and daughter went t-o-ting to the mall. They were back just in time when the kids in the neighborhood started pouring in. D would stand at the door, refusing to close the door. The minute she would spot a kid in the opposite house or the adjacent one, she would scream – Hey friends, I have candy too. Very yummy, you want to try it?