Downsizing Has Blunted Our Halloween Joy - Dr. Ed Iannuccilli

Downsizing Has Blunted Our Halloween Joy - Dr. Ed Iannuccilli

Since we downsized to an unhurried neighborhood, we no longer encounter those wonderful children ready at the door, proud of their costumes and their ‘trick or treating.’

We went from a busy location perfect for the trick-or-treaters to one down a small shady street that abuts the woods; a place where parents have no place to park. Last year, our first here, we saw nary an urchin. Our loss.

Halloween was our chance to welcome eager, appreciative kids, and their parents, to a simple night of delight. We loved to see the enthusiastic, costumed smiling urchins (and often their costumed parents) prance to the door and stand fast to the cries of nearby parents, “Go ahead and ring it. Go ahead. Ring the bell.”

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Just as they rang the bell, we swung open our slightly ajar door to the squeaks of “Trick-or-Treat.” There they stood, a myriad of sizes and poses, dancing feet, arms outstretched, bags, pillowcases, and pumpkin buckets open to receive the bounty. Though at times we think we should add something healthy like apples or oranges, it is the attractively packaged Halloween candy that prevails. Why not? It’s what we did and what they wanted.

The costumes were fascinating, some curious. Because I always wore one I made myself, I seemed to appreciate creativity a bit more. It didn’t matter. I enjoyed them all. Pirates, gypsies, superheroes, frightening figures, firefighters, cartoon characters, and witches were popular. There were imaginative ones, like the kid dressed as a businessman and another as Tom Cruise from “Top Gun.” Captain Marvel and The Wizard’s Dorothy caught my eye. Well, OK. All of them seemed to inhabit their characters with pride.

Because we lived near Roger Williams College, we got a number of undergraduates stepping up to fill their coffers, some costumed, most not. One late evening, as we dimmed the lights thinking the kids were long gone, there came a knock. Standing there were four large young men ‘adorned’ with cooks uniforms. “What are you guys supposed to be?”

“Cooks.”

“You are cooks! Don’t you work in that restaurant right down the street?”

“Well … uh, yeah … but.”

“OK, here you go.”

For a fleeting moment, people seemed happy and carefree. It was such a cozy evening, one that we missed last year and will again this year.

We thought, “What better way is there to meet the neighbors, or the cooks?” Through children ( which is the best way to meet neighbors), people feel comfortable knocking on doors, chatting, and showcasing their kids. There are few occasions these days when people feel relaxed doing that, even if it were just to say hello. Halloween breaks the ice and encourages being neighborly, a community, perhaps not Mayberry, but neighborly enough.

Small talk became big talk, maybe because it was about kids looking to the future. Generosity. Let’s hope so.

Sadly, we’ve lost that special evening. Downsizing has done that. But, when you downsize to a remote place, there’s a lot more candy in the house.