The First Halloween

Not the actual first Halloween, but the first Hallowe'en Trick-or-Treating experience for my two-year-old son. It was quite an experience.

This was actually my son's third Hallowe'en, but he was only two months old the first year, so this is the first year he's actually gone Trick-or-Treating.

The first year, he wore a ladybug costume (I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you've ever watched the movie Antz, then you know ladybugs aren't always female, obviously) and sat on the front porch waiting for the neighborhood ghouls, goblins, and superheroes to come round for their candy hand-outs. None came.

When he was one year old, he wore a purple dragon (dragon, not dinosaur) costume and went to the park for a train ride after handing out candy to a slightly better turn out than the year before.

This year, at the age of two, he wore a chicken costume from Old Navy. It wasn't intended to be Chicken Little from the recent Disney film, though that's what everyone called him, and for some reason everyone that saw him thought he was a girl. It must have had something to do with the chicken costume (should have dressed him as a rooster, maybe), but it really drove my wife crazy!

For his first round of Trick-or-Treating this year, we took him to a neighborhood in town that is well known for having a safe and happy Hallowe'en. We taught him to say, "Trick or treat," which he picked up rather quickly. He was a bit shy at the first house, but warmed up rather quickly to people giving him things for free. We don't let him have much candy, so I doubt that he realized what he was being given, but I don't think it really mattered to him what it was.

By the time we reached the second house he had the lingo down pat, though it came out more like "Tick-a-Tree," but everyone seemed to know what he was saying. Before long, he was greeting everyone he passed on the sidewalk with "Tick-a-Tree" as if it was as common as saying, "Hello," to everyone you meet.

This may sound like I'm a biased father, but I have to tell you -- he was the cutest little person you could ever hope to see! Not only was he cute in his little chicken outfit, but his whole attitude about Hallowe'en was cute. Say what you will, but I don't think there's ever been a cuter chicken going door to door asking for candy.

We had a great Hallowe'en, and made some cherished memories of the kind that can never be erased.

Hope your Hallowe'en was enjoyable, too.

Joe