LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A Centennial Hills family has turned a Halloween tradition born out of medical hardship into an annual community dinner.
When Christian Erickson was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer five years ago, medical treatments and a weakened immune system prevented him from celebrating Halloween like other children. In response, his mother, Lyndsay Erickson, decided to bring the celebration to their front yard.
“A few years ago, he got very sick,” Lyndsay Erickson said. “You know, first round of chemo, had to have some surgeries, and he couldn’t come out and celebrate Halloween the same way the rest of us did, because of body weakness and immunity.”
Tradition expands to hundreds
Erickson began serving family dinners to the neighborhood from the front of the home, calling the annual meal the “Witches Brew.”
“I started bringing everything that we made, like as a family, to eat for dinner, to share with the community out to the front,” she said. “The first year, I think we probably fed 20, 30 people, because I hadn’t cooked that much extra. But in the last four years now, it’s grown substantially. I’m expecting probably around 300 people tonight.”
The menu includes cornbread, chili with toppings, and a pot of gumbo.
Bringing trick-or-treating to Christian
The outdoor gathering allows Christian to participate in the holiday safely from home.
“We’ve spent over 350 nights in the hospital in the last 4 years,” Lyndsay Erickson said. “He’s had to miss a lot of holidays. This creates something that… that just has the childhood magic, you know?”
Christian said Halloween remains his favorite holiday to celebrate. When asked about his favorite part, he said, “Just getting candy and eating it.”
Community support and outreach
Neighbors have embraced the event, often bringing candy directly to Christian as they pass by.
“Now that the neighborhood kind of knows that this is what we do, a lot of them will actually bring their treats to him,” Lyndsay Erickson said. “So, he’ll kind of sit here and trick-or-treat as they go by, which is fun.”
The family also boxes up leftover meals at the end of the night to deliver discreetly to local residents in need.
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