The Slice: In the end, lion masks concerns

You still have 10 days to make up your mind.

Are you going to prepare for the arrival of trick or treaters or sit it out?

In my home, the memory of a small lion haunts our decision making.

He arrived 15 years ago, on the first Halloween we spent at our house. Maybe he was 3. He slowly climbed the porch steps using all fours.

It’s possible this kid really believed he was a lion. I’m sure his terrific costume was homemade.

His mom stood nearby. Even with her prompting, I don’t recall that he was able to say “Trick or treat.”

He just looked up with a bewildered “What happens now?” expression.

Climbing back down the steps with a treats sack now heavier, the face-painted king of beasts padded off into the twilight. Born free.

Alas, we usually don’t get much action on Halloween night. Sometimes the headcount is in the single digits.

So every October, we have a “should we or shouldn’t we” discussion about stocking up on candy and leaving on the porch light.

Opinions vary about trick or treat. To each his own. But let me tell you where I stand.

I’m for it.

I don’t think Halloween is evil.

I believe the risks have been overblown.

And I do not think a little candy dooms a child to a life of obesity.

Yes, some of the kids who come to the door don’t display the best manners. Others are too old.

Moreover, having your porch light on after dark on Halloween invites religious groups intent on reforming the occasion to appear and offer to show you the light.

For me, though, the biggest downside to preparing for trick or treat is the possibility that next to no one will show up at your door. It can feel like throwing a party that no one attends. That gets old.

We never saw that little lion again, at least not that we recognized.

He might be a high school senior this year, or perhaps a college freshman. Maybe he will go to a Halloween party where people his age will talk about Halloween costumes they wore when they were little.

Wonder what he would say. There’s a good chance he does not remember the year he was a lion.

But others do.

Today’s Slice question: Ever dropped a glass jar in a grocery store?