Parents can make event a family affair
by Tamara Collins, Reporter

   In a week’s time, another yearly visit from the great pumpkin will be upon us.
   It’s time again for children of all ages to don their best costumes and stay up late with ghosts and goblins to keep them company.
   I urge parents and kids alike not to shun the holiday altogether but to use it as a time of family closeness. Don’t just send your kids out the door and let them wander; dress up with them.
   Go trick or treating. Just because your body isn’t as young as it used to be, you can still be young at heart. Grab a plastic pumpkin and a glow-stick and have at it. Many wonderful stories and activities await you and your family.
   Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because it is so simple: no lavish meals to make, no family from out of town, just you, your friends and your children.
   One of the more inexpensive holidays, Halloween offers cheap fun. The most wonderful costumes can be made out of an old sheet, and the candy is free.
   Celebrate the time you have with your young ones because tomorrow you may look back and realize that they have grown up and have children of their own. Even if your religious beliefs dictate your celebration, use the time to read a story or play a game. In our technologically advanced society, not enough time is spent without some electronic device feeding us information. Make Halloween the official turn-it-off day. Do something with your children now before they are no longer begging for your attention.
   Time is precious, so let’s not waste it, but use every moment. Halloween is a great excuse to play dress up and to forget adult woes. Drop all your important meetings and phone calls, and carve a pumpkin.
   Be Batman or Wonder Woman. Be a bad guy or a good one; be whatever you want. Revel in the time and fun that will last a lifetime. Take your young witches and Harry Potters to a carnival or around the neighborhood. Take pictures and decorate. Do whatever makes you and your family happy. But do something. Don’t let simple reservations, fatigue or stress take the fun times away.
   Use Oct. 31 to your advantage. Halloween is all the reason you need to have a party and get to know your neighbors.    Friendly people live near you if you just take time to get to know them. So get a sheet and some scissors and start cutting. It’s time for the dead to walk again.