Halloween Around the SouthCoast Lacked Spirit, Tricks and Treats

Now that Halloween is behind us, there's something I'd like to address before moving forward to Thanksgiving. Without sounding like a "Debby Downer" (which is difficult these days considering the constant judgment), Halloween just didn't feel the same, and I hope I'm not the only one who realized this.

Over in the West End of New Bedford, I was confronted with a darkness that felt a bit gloomy and "meh." Porch lights were off and the neighborhood felt still. As I was cautiously driving below the speed limit on Shawmut Avenue to avoid a trick-or-trick tragedy, I noticed that I was the only person on the road. No costumes, no traffic, no sign of life anywhere. Where the hell was Halloween?

After being cooped up for what felt like eons, you would think that the cabin fever would push people out more than ever after the restrictions lifted. Yet the streets were empty and the there wasn't a candy bowl in sight. Ironically, it appeared as though there were more people out and about last year during the pandemic than this year. Sure, there were a group or two here or there, but from what I saw, there wasn't a lot of Halloween action.

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A couple of my friends claimed their neighborhood was berserk and that they went through upwards of 200 bags of candy, while others who spent a good chunk of change on candy only passed it out to a couple of visitors. Last year alone I had not a single kid stop by to pick from a bowl I left on the porch, so this year, in all honesty, I didn't even bother.

Is Halloween becoming a thing of the past? It feels as though the fall season was overlooked this year and we shot straight to the Christmas feels. Again, this could all be in my head, as it doesn't exactly help that Halloween landed on a Sunday. With work the next day and parties all weekend long, people in general are tired by the time the week closes out and trick-or-treating is the last thing I'd want to do, too.

Am I alone on this? Let me know your thoughts at Gazelle@Fun107.com on how good or how "blah" your Halloween was this year.