Unique Treating

Our Halloween this year was the most perfect weather we've seen for trick or treating. Cold, but not so cold we have to take breaks in the car to warm up. No ice. No wind. We could actually see costumes that weren't covered in snow pants and parkas.

Halloween in Homer is so completely different than any ther place I've ever been to because of the way our population is arranged. There are about 5,000 people who live in Homer, but very few neighborhoods. The few neighborhoods that exist are hit heavily by trick-or-treaters each year. A house in one of these neighborhoods gets hundreds of children knocking on its door. The atmosphere in the streets is carnivale. Cars bog the roads down as little angels and pirates line up at the doors for their treats. Some residents turn off their lights and avoid it all together, but most embrace it as inevitable and go all-in with decorations and costumes. The burden is so heavy on the neighborhoods that I've heard of people donating candy to the residents before the big day.

This is a picture of a typical trick-or-treat. There were about 16 people outside this one house - and they weren't all together. It was a good haul.