A kinder, gentler scare



how dapper



 Ah Halloween, that holiday that while growing up in the church was conveniently avoided and replaced by the likes of the Hallelujah Hoe Down or the Holy Ghost Weenie Roast. Good reasons no doubt since my birth All Hallows Eve has become more about the gore and scare and more recently a little bit of sexy. And Christians really wanted to avoid the big scare that Frank Peretti painted in a lot of his books. I think my 'brethern and sistern' responded in reactionary ways and did not engage the culture or have a desire to influence it. However, I am not going to delve into the merits of why or why not you should recognize Halloween. Too long, too complicated and I don't have time. I desire to be neutral towards it. So disguises, sweets, meeting neigbors- I like. Scares, gore, witchcraft and their ilk- I do not like. Strangely enough, Martin Luther decided to begin an scholarly engagement that eventually turned out to become the reformation on this date in 1517. Maybe we should engage the current trends with some well thought out actions on this day? I think I should don a Martin Luther costume next year.



Miss Piggy for President



As for this year my first costume is the dapperly dressed man. It basically is a gangster costume I culled from the Wal-Mart discout bins a number of years ago. Must have cost me a few bucks. The hat, on the other hand, has been around since my high school days. I belive it appeared in "42nd Street" when I portrayed the character Abner Dillion. Friends at work suggested this costume could double as one for Batman's nemesis "Two-Face" with a little make-up.

The big winner at work this year was our receptionist's Miss Piggy costume.