I am not the person you want to talk to about Halloween because I’m not fond of the holiday. From the time I was a little girl, I remember being afraid of scary things. Halloween brings eerie, dark-sided people and things into view. No JOY there.

When I went trick-or-treating, I wore something pretty or cute. As long as I was a princess, baby, beatnik, or something else nonscary, I could walk the streets with my like-minded friends and handle my fears.

I remember one dark, Halloween night when my companions and I sauntered up the sidewalk to a house with no lights. I told my friends that we shouldn’t go to the house because there were no lights on and they weren’t home anyway. But, the crowd headed to the door, and I tagged along. No one answered. When we turned to walk away, two very monster-like men came out of the bushes at us with snarls and grunts. I almost wet my pants. Times like that ruined Halloween for me.

And, then there were the cavities and fillings that went with the huge bag of candy I collected. I remember many a winter afternoon walking to the dentist to get more fillings. No, thank you. Halloween is not for me.

Today, though, I have grandchildren who come to my home all dressed for the occasion. This year, I know at least three of them will stop by—a cupcake, cat, and egg. Perhaps even more of our grands will stop and say hi. It’s difficult not to have some JOY when I look at their happy faces of excitement. We always have candy for them, and they trick-or-treat along our street where their parents did the same many years ago. This is the highlight of my Halloween.

My youngest daughter brings her two-year-old to our home and two or three big bags of candy. She and her daughter sit in the driveway and hand out a few pieces to each child visitor. Occasionally, I will sit outside with them and chit chat, but even though the trick-or-treaters are cute, I don’t enjoy it much. I’d prefer to read a good book, sew, or watch a program on television.

In October, my husband and I were enJOYing a drive along the coast and happened upon the Cambria Scarecrow Festival in California. When I saw the name of the event, I told Don I wasn’t interested in seeing a bunch of scarecrows. Nevertheless, we drove through the quaint town and checked out some of the creative art.

The first one I saw looked like a skeleton in clothes. I panicked and wanted to leave right then. However, as we drove down the main street, every store had devised some type of paper mache scarecrow. Many of them were symbolic of the store or restaurant where they stood.

A nice-looking scarecrow dressed in jean overalls and holding a bucket guarded the creamery. He was not threatening. A beautiful fairy and a young boy were somewhat cute. And, I can’t forget the three amigo mariachis and the man serving wine outside of a Mexican restaurant.

On the main drag of Cambria, I had a good laugh. Three nuns stood alongside the road holding a surfboard, their habits blowing in the wind. If we could have stopped for a picture, we would have. A family of five, the paper mache kind, rode their bicycles along the edge of a street. The bikes were real and each person in the family was dressed for their age group. Very cute indeed.

But, my favorite was a man and woman in front of a hotel along Highway 1 near the outskirts of town. He was supposed to be William Randolph Hearst and her, Julia Morgan, his architect. They were peering across the highway, she pointing up toward the hills to the place where Hearst Castle towers over the area.

Did these scarecrows frighten me? For the most part, no. Were they fun loving, cute, and fun? For scarecrows, yes. Since the figures were made of paper mache, only their mothers could love their faces. Nevertheless, each scarecrow was unique—dressed in real clothes and true to their theme.

The artists obviously had a JOYful time creating their sculptures. As we left Cambria, a paper mache man with jeans, a red shirt, and suspenders held on for dear life to a lamp post as the wind carried him off the ground and horizontal to the road. His mouth was wide open as he screamed his silent scream and for a brief moment, I liked Halloween.

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My trip through Cambria taught me that things are not always as they seem. Halloween is a time to let yourself go. I’m still learning how to do that, but the JOY I get along the way is priceless.

Is Halloween one of your favorites? Do you believe in magic, ghosts, and goblins? I’d love to hear how this fun filled day brings you JOY.