Hallowe’en.
As stated, I’m not a fan.
Not that I’ve never participated. In decades past, I’ve donned costumes and showed up as Jacob Marley, Cyrano de Bergerac, and Max Klinger, but in general, the Hallowe’en festival leaves me annoyed and out of sorts. There’s little an introvert like me enjoys less than having to sit around on tenterhooks, waiting, while strange children continually pound on the door, begging for candy and costume appreciation, while their parents provide overwatch from the shadows.
Forced social interaction with a built-in judgment factor.
O Joy Unbounded. O Rapture Unexampled.
Usually, either we tag team the Hallowe’en visitations—I take a turn, then she takes a turn—or my wife (our family’s extrovert) handles the door while I provide backup from the stairwell.
This year is different.
This year, I’ll be alone on Hallowe’en. My wife will be in New Orleans, meeting with publishers and such, and I will be home, alone, having to face the onslaught of youthful sweet-treat beggary by myself.
I am not looking forward to this, neither the solo part nor the onslaught part, especially since the Seattle forecast says we won’t be inundated with rain on that night, meaning clear skies and streets filled with urchins and their supervisors.
As a result, I may find somewhere else to be on that evening. It’s not that I specifically want to deny kiddies a bit of cheap candy. Not at all. It’s just that I feel more strongly the urge to avoid the stress of having to pretend I’m enjoying the interaction.
It’s nothing personal. Honest.
k
Unraveling Time
Desert Wind
Ploughman's Son
Ploughman King
The Year the Cloud Fell
The Spirit of Thunder
Shadow of the Storm
The Cry of the Wind
Beneath a Wounded Sky
Cryptogenesis: A Memoir
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 
Kurt, our neighbor (who shares the building with us) keeps his porch and front building lights on year-round at night. The only night of the year he turns them off is Halloween. He locks the front door, turns off the lights, and makes his place appear as “shut down.” Hah!
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‘E’s not foolin’ anyone!
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I love Halloween (Hallowe’en, too) as it’s the most metal of “holidays.” I enjoy seeing the wee ones, and, every so often, there is a spectacular display of costume creativity. However, I reside around the ambivert point on the continuum, and I respect your feelings on the matter.
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You are not alone — a lot of other people feel as you do. You have a perfect right to not be home if you don’t want to participate. I have been against trick-or-treat for many years because it is not safe for the kids to accept treats from people they don’t know. A safer alternative is parties or some of the community events which are held.
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I think there’s a trend toward parties, etc., but our cul-de-sac is one of those places where parents literally vanpool their kids in and let them fan out like Huns. When it rains, it’s just the locals, but this year, there will be barbarians at the gate.
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