10/27/2025
This is my way of celebrating Halloween. 👻 🎃 I just don’t like the gruesome thing.
“When Halloween Was Harmless”
I remember when Halloween was harmless—
when the scariest thing on the block
was a rubber bat hanging from the porch
and a mom with flour on her face saying,
“Don’t eat all your candy at once.”
When we bobbed for apples,
wore costumes made from old sheets,
and said “trick or treat”
without walking past bloodied masks and flashing red lights.
It used to be fun—
not frightening.
Silly—
not sinister.
We laughed at ghosts we knew weren’t real,
and the night ended with cocoa,
not chaos.
But somewhere along the way,
pretend got replaced with proud,
and darkness stopped disguising itself.
And maybe that’s why, this time of year,
I feel the pull to make my porch different.
To keep the smiles on my pumpkins
and the glow in my windows warm.
To hand out candy—
but also kindness.
Because I still believe light belongs on porches.
That goodness can fill the night air.
That you can celebrate the season
without celebrating the dark.
And as long as I’m here—
I’ll keep the candles burning bright,
a quiet reminder that even on the darkest nights,
the Light still shines. 🕯️✨
