10/29/2025
Every kid in New Canaan liked Halloween a lot,
But the Grinch, who just moved to town, most certainly did not!
The Grinch hated costumes, the pumpkins, the cheer,
The laughter of children that rang out each year.
The giggles, the goblins, the shouts “trick-or-treat!”
The sounds of children’s feet crunching leaves on concrete,
“It’s too loud!” he would groan as he covered his head,
“Those howls and those hoots won’t let me go to bed!”
It could be the candy was too sticky and sweet,
Or the late-night parades marching up and down Main Street.
But whatever the reason, his heart or his snooze,
He plotted a plan to cancel the boos.
So he crept into town in the chill autumn air,
Past pumpkins and lanterns placed on porches with care.
He took all the candy, the cobwebs, the hats,
The pumpkins, the glow sticks, the masks, and the bats!
He snuck into houses and crept through the green,
And stole every sign of the night’s spooky scene.
“Ha!” he cackled. “They’ll come out and see,
No more noise! No more fun! Peace and quiet for me!”
Then he slunk to his house with his loot piled so high,
“Without candy,” he thought, “they’ll all grumble and cry!”
But when the sun slowly set, he turned with a start,
For the sounds that he heard started to soften his heart.
There were no sad sobs, or any tears, or a moan,
It was families and children singing a sweet of their own!
He stared out in wonder, so puzzled and stunned,
“They’re happy!” he gasped. “Without candy-fueled fun?”
And he did see the truth, though it came quite unseen,
That Halloween’s more than its masks or its sheen.
It’s friendship and laughter, and neighbors who care,
And joy in the crisp autumn air we all share.
And what happened then, well, in New Canaan, they say,
That the Grinch’s small heart grew ten times larger that day!
He brought back the candy, the pumpkins, the cheer,
And promised to help every Halloween here.
Now he joins in the fun, dressing up with delight,
Shouting, “Happy Halloween!” late into the night!
And each year they all smile with the moon shining down,
On the Grinch who found joy in our sweet, spooky town.
