Halloween Hijinx
Halloween has always been my favorite holiday.
The concept of this being the one day of the year I can dress however I want and basically play make believe like a kid again, with little or no worry of facing the ridicule of others, is very appealing to me.
My love of Halloween has thus been incorporated into my family life. My wife and I started out with costumes that complemented each other, then as we started having kids, we started to expand our costume "themes." So far, it's worked out very well and we've disguised ourselves as superheroes, cartoon characters, and action figures. The kids are still young enough to readily agree to our suggestions, although I know the day of their creative independance is just over the horizon and they'll start to have their own ideas for costumes.
This year, I'm facing a dilemma of sorts. In the past, we've gone to the ward for their "trunk or treat" activity, then hit a few houses in the neighborhood before calling it a night. Now that I've taken some steps to distance myself from church activity, I'm forced to decide our course of action for the holiday.
Do we adhere to tradition and mingle with the ward folks, or do we just hit the houses in our quest for cavities? A part of me doesn't mind going to the ward activity, but another part of me is screaming in vehement opposition to that idea. What message will I be sending if we show up in the ward parking lot? As far as I know, the majority of the ward remains unaware of my apostasy, so I'm predicting I'll have to face some questions and/or comments about my church attendance (or lack thereof) and that's not something I care to deal with.
And by appearing, does that in any way convey the notion that I continue to endorse the church in any way? I'm sure the bishop will be there and I'll then be forced to talk to him, even if only for a brief moment. I haven't spoken with him since this whole mess began. I can only imagine what comment he'll have for me (if anything at all.)
I have a dozen scenarios swirling around in my head and I'm trying to predict which is the more likely to occur and base my decision on that.
The safe thing to do would be to make other plans for trick or treating.
Or let the wife and kids go to the trunk or treat without me.
Or just go, grit my teeth and bite my tongue the whole time we're there.
Hell, I just want the candy.
The concept of this being the one day of the year I can dress however I want and basically play make believe like a kid again, with little or no worry of facing the ridicule of others, is very appealing to me.
My love of Halloween has thus been incorporated into my family life. My wife and I started out with costumes that complemented each other, then as we started having kids, we started to expand our costume "themes." So far, it's worked out very well and we've disguised ourselves as superheroes, cartoon characters, and action figures. The kids are still young enough to readily agree to our suggestions, although I know the day of their creative independance is just over the horizon and they'll start to have their own ideas for costumes.
This year, I'm facing a dilemma of sorts. In the past, we've gone to the ward for their "trunk or treat" activity, then hit a few houses in the neighborhood before calling it a night. Now that I've taken some steps to distance myself from church activity, I'm forced to decide our course of action for the holiday.
Do we adhere to tradition and mingle with the ward folks, or do we just hit the houses in our quest for cavities? A part of me doesn't mind going to the ward activity, but another part of me is screaming in vehement opposition to that idea. What message will I be sending if we show up in the ward parking lot? As far as I know, the majority of the ward remains unaware of my apostasy, so I'm predicting I'll have to face some questions and/or comments about my church attendance (or lack thereof) and that's not something I care to deal with.
And by appearing, does that in any way convey the notion that I continue to endorse the church in any way? I'm sure the bishop will be there and I'll then be forced to talk to him, even if only for a brief moment. I haven't spoken with him since this whole mess began. I can only imagine what comment he'll have for me (if anything at all.)
I have a dozen scenarios swirling around in my head and I'm trying to predict which is the more likely to occur and base my decision on that.
The safe thing to do would be to make other plans for trick or treating.
Or let the wife and kids go to the trunk or treat without me.
Or just go, grit my teeth and bite my tongue the whole time we're there.
Hell, I just want the candy.
posted by Al Jordan | 4:15 AM
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