I hate the Halloween Ghost. The stupid ghost that shows up at your house with a plate of goodies and an admonition to make two more plates of goodies and keep it going on around the neighborhood. I also hate his cousin, the Christmas Star.
Why do I hate this tradition, you might ask. For starters, the stupid ghost does not make it around the entire neighborhood. Someone is always left out, which is obvious by the lack of a Xeroxed ghost in the window. Of course they also might be trying to score extra goodies by not displaying the ghost. But it becomes pretty obvious pretty fast who the popular families in the neighborhood are. And if you happen to live in an area where most of the people are members of the same religion, it also shows who the outsiders are.
Not everyone makes good treats. Some people make horrendous cookies. Others go the easy way and buy some goodies from the store. I could do that myself, and make sure it was something I wanted. The same with Christmas neighbor gifts. I don't need any more plates of candy or cookies. I certainly don't need any bottles of Sprite with a tag wishing me that my "days be merry and Sprite." I don't need bags of marshmallows labeled ghost poop. I don't need more Christmas ornaments. It would be nice if neighbors would spend the money and time consumed in creating and delivering neighbor gifts and instead used those resources on the local food bank, or other community needs.
But maybe I'm just being a little cranky because our house if often overlooked by the Halloween Ghost. I can't imagine why. Maybe it has to go with the go away or else sign in my front yard…
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