Gramps Says
Well, it’s finally over. No… not the election, Halloween.
This national event officially kicks off the holiday season and it is no small event. A lot of ingenuity is expended in the decoration of houses, retail displays and costumes for children of all ages and some adults as well.
Consider the personal investment. Let’s do some math. This year our neighbor accompanied her three year old for trick or treating. I don’t recall that my parents did the same for me so let’s assume I started at the age of five and that I trick or treated until the age of age 14.
That’s 9 years. And then marriage and the addition of seven children added to the family over a 22 year period of time less five years. That adds 15 years. Then add 9 years for the last born less the years that she went with friends. That should round out at about 5 years. I need the help of a CPA but near as I can tell I have 29 years invested in trick or treating.
Wait, I’m not through. What about the grandchildren that grandpa accompanied? Your guess is as good as mine but 10 more outings would be conservative. You know who to call if you want to consult with a pro about how to get the highest yield of loot.
I can recall only two contests in which I earned a first prize in my youth. At the age of 12 I dressed up in my grandfather’s old double breasted suit including a fedora and a pillow. I borrowed a name from a kid’s radio serial and called myself Adam Molanzo Davenport Shakespeare. I did a little routine to match the part. I won first prize at Madison Junior High School annual Halloween costume contest.
The other prize had nothing to do with Halloween. I was about seven years of age. My mother and several neighbors painted a large cardboard box to look like a jail cell. They ingeniously fastened replica heads of Mussolini, Tojo and Hitler between the bars of the jail and put the assembly in my Radio Flyer Wagon.
Dressed in my soldier uniform I pulled the wagon the length of a fourth of July parade in Salt Lake City. Someone had to alert me to go to the officials stand to pick up my blue ribbon. As a side note, when my Uncle Jesse returned from the war in Germany he pinned his captain bars on my uniform and I held my head a little higher as a commissioned officer.
I was in Lowes the other day and noticed hundreds of pre-decorated Christmas trees. Numerous other expensive items were decorated with large red ribbons. So the official Holiday Season attack on our wallets is now Halloween. With the current trend, it won’t be long before the onslaught begins on Labor Day in September.
Sophie Says
No worries here, I don’t have a wallet nor do I have a pocket to put it in should I get one.
Halloween is my favorite holiday. It’s kind of embarrassing how crazy I act when the children come to the door in costumes. But it’s OK They think I’m cute.
The fourth of July is my least favorite holiday. I hide under the bed when the fireworks start.
