October 28, 2007
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Halloween in Tama Center
I know that Halloween bashing has become fashionable in some circles recently. Way back when I was of trick or treater age - and believe me, I pushed the age limit as far as I could - all it was about was cutting a face in a pumpkin, getting dressed up and collecting candy. Being scared by ghost stories was just part of the fantasy and the fun. I even remember bobbing for apples in my clown suit at the Central Baptist Church Halloween party. We had Halloween parties at Brandywine Elementary School, too. It was just a custom of the season, nothing else, and the beginning of a string of lovely events that included Thanksgiving and Christmas. Perhaps the meaning of Halloween has changed. If some individuals are led by the Holy Spirit to refrain from the event, I have nothing against that, either, but if my kids were of ToT age I would let them go depending on the safety of the neighborhood.
When we lived in New Haven, Ct. in the 1980's I decided not to participate at the candy dispensing end of things after the first few groups of kids showed up at the door. I offered them to take a candybar off a tray, and they proceeded to grab handfulls. Ok, perhaps my mistake. The next group of large boys asked me where my husband was. That was their mistake, and for my own safety I thought better of any further contact with the young hoods in that 'hood.
Recently the shopping area of Tama Center holds "Halloween" for all of the local population. There are pumpkins to be carved and shows to be enjoyed. There is really no custom of going from house to house "Trick or Treating" unless the neighborhood discusses and decides in advance. I seems that in my particular apartment building that there are many who have been abroad and enjoyed the custom. If one wants to participate, one can leave some sort of decoration outside as an invitation to ring the doorbell.
Perhaps these cute kittens are part of a ballet class.
Play "scissors, paper, rock" and get a piece of candy if you win.
A group of young violinists perform Halloween Bach.
These kids are playing "Hana Ichi Monme," which is a singing line game where one side captures people from the opposing team.
The princess is enjoying herself!
Finalists in the Pumpkin Carving Contest
Who do you think will win?
Comments (5)
Well I can't say I won't miss it, but I can't say I will either.
Did I catch it right that you wrote your tanjoubi's not until the 30th? I got most of it, but the last sentence threw me off, lol. I just know it was something about a present... lol. Maybe it was a towel? lol.
God bless,
~Scott
Yes, time have changed since I was a kid. During Holloween 2006, my We had finished Trick-o-Treating earlier, and my then 8 yo, was giving out candy to the kids. I sat on the front porch in the shadows watching them give out candy. A group of Teenagers were walking down the street. I could tell that they were up to no good, but since they were just walking past, I didn稚 say anything.
Then, one of the boys, a tall black kid, about 16 or 17, at least 6 foot, stated that he was going to get some candy and began walking up to my boys. As he approached my boys, he said, 敵ive me the candy, boy!・
I could see the terror in my oldest boy痴 eye. I immediately jumped up out of the shadows and said firmly, 的 don稚 think so 礎oy・・ The teen turned to look at me. I continued to say to him, 添ou are too old and too big to be Trick-O-Treating! If you want to take candy away from someone, why don稚 you try taking it from me instead of a child!・nbsp; The teen turned and walked off, mouthing profanity to impress his waiting peers in the street.
It is not that I think Trick-O-Treating is sinful. When my kids dress up, they dress up as a cartoon character or super hero. I don稚 cater to witches, devils, or the walking dead. However, I don't think it is safe for either the giver or the receiver any more.
This year, my church is having a Trunk-O Treat, at the church on Wednesday night. They plan to sit in the Baptist church痴 parking lot and give out candy and Christian tracks from their car trunks. I think we will do this instead of giving out candy to the neighborhood kids this year.
I didn't really want to mention it, but the kids who asked where my husband was were of the same ethnic persuation. I have been raised not to look at the color of a person's skin, but in New Haven it was not the persons of lighter color who were stealing the neighbor's cars, so if I have developed any wariness they were the ones who taught it to me. I still like to ignore skin color - hey, I have a mixed race family! But, I just didn't feel safe. Well, there have always been the nasty aspects of Halloween. I remember that we were not allowed to be out late and we were required to go in a group and watch out for each other. When I was small my dad stepped in to stop a gang of kids beating up on one, and got a broken ankle for his trouble.
I too do not judge a person by the skin color. My wife is from South America and has dark skin. My appologies if I offended your posting or your readers. The 2006 Holloween incident that I left on your site as a comment was a true incident. I call myself a Christian. But I fall short of the Faith on a daily basis. I have a long way to go. For the incident itself, I was reacting as a Father protecting his children.
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