Trick-or-treat neighborhood



Waiting for the 6 p.m. trick-or-treat start

 I have a thing for fall. Pumpkins, football games, pots of giant mums. When my husband and I were house hunting a few years ago, our realtor asked, "So, what kind of place are you looking for?"

I said, "I want to live in a neighborhood where it's fun to go trick-or-treating."

When I was growing up on a farm in Georgia, our town didn't really embrace Halloween. Houses were too far apart to gather much candy, and a lot of people just plain ol' didn't participate. We were, after all, in the buckle of the Bible Belt, where many considered Halloween to be "of the devil." I never understood why people got so worked up about it. To me, Halloween equals free candy--nothing more, nothing less.

When my husband and I finally found our little house on a tree-lined street, I knew it would be a great place for Halloween. Maple leaves cover our tiny front yard, no matter how many times we rake. And our little porch is just right for giant pumpkins.

Last night was trick-or-treat night in our neighborhood, and as we walked along the sidewalks, leaves crunched under our feet. A white steeple rose above the trees, and the temperature required nothing more than a light sweater. As we made our way from house to house (and peeked into the lighted living rooms for decorating tips), the word "idyllic" kept running through my mind. Not all the houses are fancy. None of them are new. But most of them had what my six-year-old calls "Halloween spirit." Happy Halloween!