How I Rocked Halloween This Year

I used to hate Halloween. I mean, it was fine when I was a cute kid. Once you enter that self-conscious adolescent phase though, it's hard to know what to do with yourself on Halloween.

Teenagers in costumes, holding out pillowcases like they expect pounds and pounds of candy, aren't cute anymore. I didn't want to be one of those. I also didn't want to smash pumpkins or throw eggs, not out of some sense of civic duty. I just didn't like the mess it made.

Then I became a teacher at an elementary school, and Halloween became fun again.

My school sponsors an event called "Ghouls at School" every year prior to Halloween. The kids parade through the school, dressed in their costumes, trick-or-treating at the teachers' doors. Several of us teachers even dress up.

It reminds me of trick-or-treating at the mall in Ohio when I was a kid. The store clerks would lock up their businesses and hand out candy, and our parents didn't have to worry about crazy people putting razor blades in caramel apples and popcorn balls.

Ghouls at School is like trick-or-treating at the Ohio mall except we're teachers, and we actually know the kids because they are our students. It's super fun.

This year, I even came up with a rock-star theme. I decorated my door for Red Ribbon Week with rock 'n roll stuff, and I dressed up like a rock star for Ghouls at School. I am the music teacher, after all. My next door neighbor joined me both in decoration and costume, and we were rock stars together.

I was dressed up, ready to go, and I had to attend a meeting at another school (in full costume) before the festivities. They were fellow music teachers. They would understand.

One new-to-the-district colleague did say, "Um . . . don’t take this the wrong way . . . but I don’t know you that well. Are you supposed to be from the ‘80’s . . . or do you always dress like this?"

Best. Question. Ever.

Of course, handing out candy meant I was standing by a full box all evening long. I love candy. What else am I supposed to do between trick-or-treaters?

This year, I couldn't eat any candy because I was fasting for a blood draw. To get decent numbers, I have to practically go vegan for a month, shunning sugar and saturated fat.

Here was my situation: I was fasting, and I couldn't eat any candy even though it was right in front of me, and I was still starving after my meager dinner salad. In other words, I was one step away from bitchy.

I pulled myself together and ended up having a nice evening.

The kids asked, "What are you, Mrs. Duggan?"

And I asked, "What do you think I am?"

And they answered, "A rock star!"

And I said, "Yes and yes! I'm dressed like one, and I am one!"

Then I mumbled as they walked away, "Actually, I'm an opera singer, but who's keeping score?"

 

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