Saturday 31 October 2009

All Hallows' Eve

Here we go again, tis the night for ghouls and ghosties, four feet short or wide, to walk the streets touting for their annual sugar fix.

I know it’s another commercial marketing ploy to get consumers buying a load of old tack, but quite frankly, I prefer Halloween to a lot of other notable calendar dates. You see, Halloween has become a time for parties and dressing up for both kids and adults, alike, with everyone having to make an effort to get off their backsides if they want a little treat or two. Unlike Christmas, no hobgoblin has ever sat at home, to my knowledge, waiting for an all singing and dancing computer gaming machine to land in their laps, nor have I witnessed devil fairies throwing a tantrum because the latest mobile phone, complete with internet connection, hasn’t slipped into their pumpkin goodie bags. At Easter everything seems to get dipped in chocolate, ooohhh - what a treat, but at Halloween the trick is the delusion of disguise. Is there something good or bad behind the masked crusaders who come knocking at our doors searching for gaudy coloured confectionary? The truth being, that no one really knows what lies below the surface of anything until they look.

Traditionally, All Hallows’ Eve is a time to remember family and friends who have departed this mad and crazy world. Tonight, I’m thinking about all those I’ve ever loved and lost, be they dead or alive. You see, everyone who has ever crossed my path, and left a mark, has helped me be the person I am today. All I can do, in return, is hope that each and every one of them is happy and at peace, wherever they are.

Happy Halloween