Trick-or-Treat, Smell My Feet

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- On the day of all Hallow's Eve, ghosts rise from the graveyards, witches come out of hiding, and monsters are on the loose.  This must be every child's favorite holiday.  They get to dress up and become whatever they want and go door to door receiving candy from strangers. 

I remember growing up, Halloween, was about being creative with your costume.  Some costumes were homemade and others were store bought, but it didn’t matter.  All the kids went out through the neighborhood and went trick-or-treating.  Usually the little kids started at 5PM, while there was still some light outside, but the big kids didn’t go out until it was pitch black outside. 

I've lived in Sacramento for about two years now and Sacramentans have odd Halloween traditions.  I've observed parents being scared to take their kids or let their kids go by themselves out into the neighborhoods because of kidnappers, rapists, and every other criminal roaming the streets.  So instead of trick-or-treating outside, Sacramentans result to trick-or-treating at the mall.  At the mall?  Are you serious?!  What kind of fun is that?!

In this case, children and parents dress up and go store to store asking for candy.  This is unfair and children don't get the real feel of what Halloween is truly all about.  As a mall employee, the company I work for does not participate in the giving out of candy, but I would say most stores do.  But as I viewed the busy hall of the mall, peering through racks of clothes, I spot ladybugs, bumblebees, witches, ninjas, princesses, and many more.

Another odd tradition, now for young adults, is to get so drunk, they black out, dress up in barely there costumes and have an excuse to be promiscuous.  This is most prevalent at Cal Expo's Exotic Ball.  As you enter the doors, you have a choice to stay in the room with a live band or the hip-hop room.  They have a variety of booths such as a fetish booth, with whips and chains, the mechanic bull, and a human petting zoo.  They have plenty of alcohol to last the entire night.  Continuing to walk around the grounds you will see a plethora of sexy Freddie Krugers, body latex painted on animal costumes, Adam and Eves, anything you could ever think of.

Back home in small Sunnyvale, the young adults would either go to the club or to a friend's house for a Halloween party.  This seems to be the safer choice rather than attending the Exotic Ball.  

I guess that's just how it's done in Sacramento.  I wonder how other places in the U.S. celebrate Halloween, or even in other countries.  In an informal poll I took of some friends and looking at people's Facebook statuses, most went to the Exotic Ball, a few went to Las Vegas, and others went to San Francisco or spent it with friends watching scary movies.      

I wonder how next year will be.  Will we see the same trends?  Stay tuned.