Halloween may be over, but the memories from this little, late-October holiday will always be there for millions of children from multiple countries around the world. While simple, Halloween is all about getting to stay out late, past your bedtime, to collect tasty treats while dressed as your favorite character, animal, public figure, or dream career.
Halloween tends to attract a younger crowd, but even then, not everyone is fortunate enough to participate while they are young. Some parents won’t allow their kids to go trick-or-treating at all. Others may not be able to afford a nice costume and may feel compelled to just stay home instead as a result. Other children may live in a bad neighborhood or poorer town and might not feel safe trick-or-treating.
In fact, a 91-year-old great grandmother from Zion, Michigan named Mary Spaeth never trick-or-treated in her entire life because she grew up in Croatia. However, Mary ensured that when she emigrated to the United States that her own children would get to partake in standard American holidays, including Halloween. She was always delighted to watch her kids celebrate these holidays, customs, and traditions.
But, shortly before Halloween this year, Mary’s daughter, Christine, noticed something different about her mother. “She was kind of in a little bit of a funk. …when I spoke to her Sunday morning and she sounded down, I thought, you know what, we’re going to go visit,” said Christine.
To help liven up her mother, Christine decided to encourage her to go trick-or-treating for herself while dressed up as “Baba the Bunny.”
But, just when Christine thought her “silly” plan would fail, it ended up working! Mary headed out with a paper bag on her walker and large bunny ears on her head, ready to collect her very own treats.
However, her daughter explains that “[t]he whole concept of saying ‘trick-or-treat,’ she had to learn.” At first, Mary would say “good morning” when her grandson answered the door upon practicing trick-or-treating. But, the third time was a charm when Mary successfully said her first “trick-or-treat.”
As the great-grandmother went to more houses, the process got easier, and Halloween made more sense to her. She began to enjoy herself more and more. “She had a blast! And she got so many hugs and kisses and pictures too! She just couldn’t stop talking about tricking all her great grandbabies,” said Christine.
Not only did Mary get to experience Halloween first-hand, but trick-or-treating also put her in a great mood, taking her out of her little slump!
Sometimes when a loved one is in a rut, they may need some help getting back on their feet just as Mary did. But, in the end, Mary proves that we are never too old to enjoy ourselves and that negative emotions are never permanent.
Watch the video of the great-grandmother trick-or-treating with her adorable bunny ears in the clip below!
If you thought it was adorable, don’t forget to share the video on social media. And hey, maybe we can encourage more elderly folks to trick-or-treat too, or really, anybody of any age for that matter!
