An Inflated Holiday

Halloween has become a big deal, as evidenced by the giant spider now parked in my front yard. (Pictured above devouring my daughter Tess).

It doesn't seem like all that long ago that Halloween meant simply carving a pumpkin and picking out a costume.

Your two costume choices were: A. a flimsy store-bought costume sold in a cardboard box with a cellophane window. It lasted all of eight minutes and you really looked nothing like a storm trooper. Or B. a homemade costume.

Dad's old Army uniform - presto, you're a soldier, with an eye-liner mustache.

Maybe somebody had a party. Maybe you bobbed for apples. Big doings.

Now, we have lights in our bushes and spider lights around our door and a lighted spider web in the window and the aforementioned giant spider dominating our yard. Catalogues arrive in our mailbox peddling three-figure costumes.

What are the most popular costumes this year? Just put the word "sexy" in front of any noun, such as "Sexy Prisoner" or "Sexy Nun" or "Sexy Pastry Chef." What about "Sexy President" or "Sexy Microbiologist?" Where are the role models? Sad.

One of our local big box home improvement stores, where our spider was obtained, has several aisles of Halloween finery. The aisles were crowded, despite the gloomy economy. My wife and kids ooohed and aahed and grabbed.

We might have cleaned them out. But then we saw the Christmas decorations. If we're going to get animated musical bells to put along our sidewalk and lighted plastic Noel candles, we'd better save up.