#1
#2
I was pissed. Filed a police report and the officers took it seriously. We got out the yearbook and identified three of them and they were picked up that night. They were charged with strong arms robbery (as juveniles) and got a ton of community service and had to pay for my mom's lost pillow case + candy + damaged clothing. I caught some flack for it at school from their girlfriends (they were ordered not to talk to me) but didn't really care because I felt like justice was served.
#3
Every year, around the end of September (or even earlier), you start noticing people getting ready for one of the biggest occasions of the year – Halloween. When you go deeper and deeper into October, the signs of that become more and more apparent, especially in the last week of the month, when the holiday happens.
But why is it so big? Why do people love it so much? Isn’t it just a carnival of spooky and creepy stuff? At first glance, it might seem like that, but when you look into it, you realize it actually is way more interesting than you would think.
#5
Edit: I must clarify this was like 15 years ago, thankfully I have some great friends now.
#6
It’s Halloween night and there’s a knock on her parent’s door. Dad goes to open it and there is a man with a bag on his head standing on their porch, silent. The man makes a move to step into their house and Dad pushes him backwards. Everyone watches as the man falls backwards off of their step and smashes his head on the ground. It is revealed that the man with the bag is my friend’s grandfather (mom’s dad) who was trying to Halloween prank them. He was rushed to the hospital with permanent damage, no longer able to care for himself or his wife who had health issues as well. They both ended up in convalescent care. Additionally, my friend’s mother never forgave her husband, placing the blame of the accident entirely on his shoulders. They divorced shortly after.
For example, Halloween as we know it today has been like that only in recent times. Not that long ago, it used to look a little different – the trick part was more prominent. Here, in the 1930s, it got so bad that it was basically full-blown vandalism, which resulted in millions of dollars of damage.
Lisa Morton, the author of Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween, explained to Today: “[People] were smashing light fixtures and setting fires and tripping people on sidewalks, and, in 1933, vandals did so much damage it became known as ‘Black Halloween.”
#7
#8
But the third year...
We showed up a couple of hours early to help our friend set up. But as soon as we got there my ex decided to take one of those giant "yard" cups that people carry around in Vegas and made himself an enormous long island iced tea.
He drank that thing down in 15 minutes tops.
He started to get sick right as people started to show up. He spent the whole night sitting on the back porch vomiting like he was starring in the remake of the Exorcist.
And for some reason his friends thought I should have been sitting with him rubbing his back or something. F**k that. He put himself in that position, he could live with the consequences. It was always his friends who encouraged him to drink like that, so I left him with them and went home.
We broke up after that. I don't care if people drink, but what I can't stand is a sloppy drunk that knows they're pushing their limits and keeps going anyway.
Edit: typo.
#9
We go home around midnight (uber, we’re responsible) and get ready for bed. My wife starts having some abdominal pain, but we don’t think anything of it; it’s getting close to that time of the month, nothing really unexpected. Fast forward an hour later, and she’s writhing on the bed in the worst pain of her life.
I rush her to the ER, and the staff there take her into a room and start doing their thing, asking questions, drawing blood, etc. One of them take me out into the hallway and give me the worst news I’ve ever had: there’s a chance that it could be serious, maybe ovarian cysts or some kind of aggressive cancer, and her life could very likely be in danger.
Holy s**t.
I go back in the room and try to keep a strong face on for her sake. She hasn’t heard any of this, and they’ve barely started drawing blood to run tests.
Then, suddenly, her pain evaporates. Gone. She looked up at a nurse and asked if she had been given any d***s, and was told no, all they’ve done so far is draw blood.
Turns out it was a kidney stone. A f*****g stone. I had the ever loving s**t scared out of me over a little tiny stone (4 mm, as it turned out). Granted, I’m sure it hurt like absolute hell, but even 10 years later I’m furious that that person had that conversation with me before they even ran any tests. Jesus Christ, I thought I was going to lose her.
Yeah, we’ve never gone back to that hospital.
After this, it was contemplated to ban the holiday, but the adoption of the Canadian “treat” tradition saved it. And that’s how trick or treat was born.
Still, it doesn’t really explain what the point behind this occasion is, does it? Well, it actually dates back thousands of years. It reaches the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which used to happen on November 1. It was believed that on that day, the boundaries between the living and the dead, between the humans and Gods, were thin.
#10
Heh, spent about an hour barfing up peanut butter cups and warheads.
#11
#12
That meant that the gods can play tricks on their mortal worshippers, and that’s how supernatural episodes happened. During this Celtic festival, people, just as right now, dressed in costumes. And while nowadays they’re usually just for fun, back in the day, they were meant to ward off wandering spirits and divine and malicious acts. Popular costumes like witches, goblins, and ghosts come from these times.
Centuries later, on the basis of Celtic tradition, the Christian church also had some influence over contemporary Halloween. The best example of this is All Hallows’ Eve, the eve of a Holy day on November 1st, a kind of Christian substitute for the pagan festival.
#13
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#15
So, you see, Halloween has no less roots in religion than Christmas. And, yes, the current celebration is more commercialized than it used to be, but so is Christmas. Just let people enjoy the holidays how they want. The world is already scary as it is, so why limit fun?
After all, the risk of something going off the rails during these celebrations is high enough, just as the stories in today’s list prove, so let's not add additional pressure.
Make sure to check the list out – just enjoy the Halloween spirit, while it lasts -- soon we’ll be hearing the jingle bells.
#17
I did find a 20 dollar bill on the floor though.
#18
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