Who's Visiting Your House This Week?

As we approach another Hallowe'en, I wonder who will visit my house this year. As my community has become larger and less personal, the number of youngsters who visit for treats is decreasing each year. There are only a few young children on my block these days.

Since I grew up in a small rural community, it was traditional for everyone to "trick or treat" throughout the community. One year, I remember that Dr. Goodman and his family were out-of-town for the evening, so Miss Polly left a full tray of goodies on the front porch, knowing that people would just take their fair share. It was always interesting to learn what "characters" my friends would choose. I remember many cowboys, Davy Crocketts, witches, ghosts, and other TV characters appearing in our community as goblins. My great-niece and great-nephew appeared as Wonder Woman and Spider Man last year.

All holidays are important in our research, because we can formulate ideas about what our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins did in their lifetime. The concept of learning about daily activities and special events will help us build our skills as researchers. If you still have siblings or older family members around, why not ask them about what they remember about a childhood Hallowe'en or other holiday.

Perhaps you will earn a treat and keep the story alive.

Mark