The Great Halloween Giveaway

Come one, come all! Step right up and be first in line for the great Halloween giveaway! Yes, Dear Reader, we’re giving away the holiday. The Wife and I have decided to downsize. No, we’re not moving. Over the last twenty years, we’ve spent a LOT on Halloween decorations for both inside and outside. If you’ve seen it in a store, on TV, or online, chances are we’ve bought it. Nothing has ever been too big, too small, or too expensive for our collection. If it was scary, we got it. If it was really scary, we got two of them. 

All our Halloween stuff is stuffed into twelve storage bins in the basement, with the larger items propped up against the walls. We got so much stuff, even the ever-growing family of spider crickets are running out of room – and they aren’t happy. Living with a basement full of unhappy spider crickets? Well, that’s something really scary. So, something must give, and the spider crickets are here to stay. 

After spending the weekend sorting through all the tubs, we reduced our collection by half: six tubs to keep and six to give away to one of those “gently used” item stores. Even though they’ve seen better Halloweens, we’ve kept the screaming front door mat, the upside-down dead guy who shakes and moans, and of course, our giant lawn spider. A first-generation inflatable lawn decoration, Spidey has been with us for twenty-six seasons and still works just fine. With only half the tubs back on shelves, there was a lot more room for the spider crickets. They were still happily jumping around as I switched off the lights and closed the door to the basement. The other six tubs I wedged into the back of my car.

The announcement.

Just before the start of the school day, I casually mentioned our decoration downsizing and the trip to the store I was going to make in the afternoon. The reaction from the other teachers in the room took me by surprise. Even before seeing anything, everyone wanted what we were about to give away. Our granddaughters have outgrown decorating. It seems adults have not.

“Our family loves Halloween.”

“It’s my favorite holiday.”

“No such thing as too many decorations.”

“We can use some of the not so scary stuff in our classrooms.”

After school that day, teachers came back to our classroom to look through the six tubs I’d retrieved from my car. As they started to sift through the items, they seemed happier than when our granddaughters, The Wife and I first bought all the scary stuff in the store. I asked each, “What you don’t use this year, please donate to your local thrift store.” They all agreed and in short fashion got what they wanted, placing their items back into the tubs.

I watched, sadly, as the teachers walked down the hallway carrying their tubs along with the memories of twenty years of our family’s Halloweens together. Turning to collect my things to leave, I paused for a moment, realized something, and a warm smile slowly crossed my face. Their families will make new memories not just this year, but for years to come as they enjoy their newfound scary items, just like our granddaughters, The Wife and I have.

I just hope when they finally unpack all those decorations, nothing live jumps out. Not sure, but I think we may be missing a few spider crickets.