又是一年一度万圣节 (w English)

It is late October, when people in the colder areas may expect the season to be ablaze with fall color, we normally don’t have such an expectation. For the whole week the temperature has been hovering around 90 to 100 degrees, a record high for this time of the year. Getting into the sunbaked car, driving along the water-irrigated dull evergreen trees by the road sides, you won’t feel in the fall at all. But a small farm on the street corner, where piles of golden pumpkins and stacks of neatly-cut hays on the ground, as well as a banner of the carved jack-o’-lantern images in the air, remind us it is the harvest time, and that Halloween is just around the corner.

 

Our community has a tradition of holding annual Best Halloween Decoration Contest, which as a result becomes a well-known destination for trick-or-treating among the neighboring areas. Last year saw the unprecedented crowd, as the winners who sat next to the entrance put on whopping and jaw-dropping Halloween decorations. Spectators, young and old, dressed up in a myriad of costumes, flocked to our community for candies and for the scene. I remember that I bought a big bag of candy from Costco last year, but it ran out unexpectedly in the end.  A bit embarrassed, we decided to turn off the light, walked out the house and joined the crowd. As we strolled in the darkness along the decorated houses that were shrouded in smoky and haunting atmosphere with RIP signs, flickering lights, skulls or spooky projected images and music, we did feel the feel.

 

I was then reminiscent of the old days, when I drove my daughter to the big mall for trick-or-treating, and of the nights when I held her little hand in mine to the neighboring communities for candies. More than once, she was scared to death by the disguised walking dead man, who stood motionless in front of the house until you approached him. But like most other kids, she was excited meanwhile at watching her candy bucket growing full in the end.  Now she is grown up and out of nest, I am no longer needed. But maybe it is my time to return the favor, though we did not live here when she was little. I like hearing the doorbells being rung and seeing those cute toddlers or kids in front of my house expecting surprises.  Though I know candy is not healthy, it is their fun time and happy moment. I hate to let them down. I am preparing more candies this year.

 

While trick-or-treating is what may lure most kids, the freedom of putting on any costume they could imagine and being one-night supernatural figure must be equally appealing. Even in the adult world, at least in the company like mine, employees are dressed up for costume contests and shows.  Downstairs employees paraded to upstairs, and upstairs people rushing downstairs. Foods, cookies, candies, potluck, and laughters filled the day up. Nobody seems to really care about work. I am looking forward to that day, not as a participant, but more as an on-looker, watching and having some fun in the workplace.