BRIGHTON - Friday night was freezing and rainy, but that couldn’t stop the population of Brighton. Kids took to the streets, hordes of Barbies and Spider-Mans and a few classic Freddy Kruegers, dragging along good-natured parents for three hours of trick-or-treating.
I don’t have kids, so I was on Candy Duty. I spent those three hours sitting in the driveway with a few friends, passing out Snickers bars and sipping apple cider. (I can neither confirm nor deny whether the cider was spiked, but in our defense, it was 40 degrees and raining and also a Friday night. We needed a little kick.)
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
In my 20s now, it’s natural that I occasionally think about having kids. The question — to parent or not to parent — has become a little more important lately as I chart out what I want to accomplish in the next ten years or so. After Friday night, I can confidently say that I am more uncertain than ever.
Don’t be offended, parents of the Riverbend; your kids are cute. Our youngest Brightonians were sweet as sugar, and we enjoyed playing along with them while we passed out candy. My friends and I ooh’d and ah’d over each costume. We shrank back, terrified, when a tiny Michael Myers brandished his plastic knife. We played “Monster Mash” over a speaker and rewarded any kid who danced with a second piece of candy.
One Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle took his packet of peanut M&Ms but didn’t return to his parents. Instead, he stood for a moment, gazing at each of us with an inquisitive raised eyebrow.
“You know,” he said conspiratorially, “some houses give us two.” Noted. We respected the hustle; he got another piece.
These kids were great representatives of their generation and put a few more tally marks on my “pros” list. In the end, it was a quiet but very fun night to lounge in the driveway with my friends, pass out candy and visit with the community.
That being said, the best part about Halloween weekend — Halloweekend, if I may — is that we have both Friday and Saturday to celebrate. Best believe I celebrated.
In my 20s now, it’s natural that I occasionally make horrible decisions. As I arrived home at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning, I found myself reflecting on these decisions. This is an immature viewpoint, I admit, but at this point in my life, there are few things that feel as nice as collapsing into bed in the early hours of the morning after dancing all night.
Sunday morning, 10 a.m., was slightly less nice, but these are the risks one must take.
I don’t know how many years I have left of this until I move on to the next phase of my life — or until I run out of stamina. I am not actually cool enough to go out every weekend and stay up that late. “In bed by 11 p.m.” is usually my M.O. But for now, I love the balance I’ve struck between quiet nights in and evenings out with friends.
No matter how you celebrated Halloweekend, we hope you had a great time. The weekend might be over, but we still have another day of trick-or-treating and parades until spooky season officially ends. From all of us at RiverBender.com, have fun, stay safe and Happy Halloween!
More like this:
