Pass: Costume club gets help from multiple charities

Nine-year-old Susana Martin has sparked a community movement to help less fortunate children enjoy Halloween.

Her efforts have even caught the attention of Feed’em Soup. An idea as good as this doesn’t need a lot of time before it’s making an impact.

Costume donations have been pouring in, with the tally already at 325, according to today’s Northern Star article. The initial goal was set at 150, and there are still 10 days left before the last chance to grab a costume.

Sometimes all it takes is a kid like Martin to make us all step back and realize how easy it is to do something selfless for other people. All she did was follow through with her idea, and now it’s making a difference.

It’s important to remember to slow down once in a while and remind yourself that a single act of kindness can spark an entire community to take part. That’s exactly what’s happening now, and I’m overjoyed to see it.

Fail: Halloween: clowns, bad costumes, cold weather

Halloween is many people’s favorite holiday and for good reasons.

For one, nothing tops the endless horror movie marathons featuring classics like “Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Friday the 13th” and the appropriately named “Halloween.”

What I hate about this time of year are the creepy clown masks and costumes available on the walls of holiday shops all over town. It’s safe to say clowns are just not welcome in my life.

Speaking of costumes, nothing is more disappointing than when people don’t put effort into their spooky looks for Halloween parties. I’m all about dressing up for them, so don’t just throw on a tye-die shirt and a ’fro wig and tell me you’re a hippie. Put some effort into it.

Finally, the last complaint I have about Halloween is the cold it brings. I heard we may even have snow this week. I’m just not ready for that. I’d trade clowns and bad costumes for a snow-free October any day.