Trick or Treat!

Does it seem time to put a new spin on the annual rite

of children trooping to your door, cloaked in ghoulish masks

or frothy pink princess gowns, pillowcases stretched toward

your doorway? Do their screams of "trick or treat" cause

you to shudder while you or another household member 

plunges into an oversized bowl of candy and one of the older 

children peers into the bowl and exclaims,"Oh, is that all?  

Popcorn and Tootsie Rolls?  What are they giving out at the 

next house?"

 

A grandmother in our acquaintance approaches the “dress up and beg”

affair in a way that might lend dignity and respect for both the trickers and the treaters

A couple of weeks prior to the community event, she compiles a list 

of her own grandchildren (she has six) and neighborhood youngsters

of whom she is fond.  She adds mailing addresses 

to the list and tallies the number of names.  Then she gathers a

corresponding number of "spooky" blank cards and writes

a personal note to each child conveying compliments about stellar

grades, exemplary behavior, or outstanding athletic or artistic

performances She closes with encouragement for similar

accomplishments in the near future. With a smile she

addresses and stamps each envelope and departs

for the post box.

With this practice Grandma feels that she is giving something meaningful to

the children in her immediate sphere. Through her written

messages she is able to personalize her treats in a way that a fist-full 

of candy could never do, and she has passed along a custom

that enriches the children's lives and recognizes their accomplishments.  

But what about the kids? Is this approach as much fun as running 

helter-skelter through the neighborhood in a frantic search for the holy

candy grail?  Absolutely!  How exciting to find A STAMPED ENVELOPE

 -- ADDRESSED TO YOU ALONE-- IN THE FAMILY MAIL!  

And how exciting to read the message inside -- A MESSAGE TOTALLY

 FOCUSED ON AND RECOGNIZING YOUR EFFORTS!

And for the community -- increased order and sanity as well as positivity

 for all involved.  

If you want to adopt a tradition similar to Grandmother's, select the option for no quote when shopping at our online store.