I'm glad Halloween is over. I've never liked it. Not even as a kid. When I was young, there was no question what I would be dressing up as. I'd be a witch. We had two witch masks, one witch dress, and one cape. My sister and I were always witches. Somehow I always ended up with the cape and never the dress. I really wanted the dress. When it was my year for the dress, my sister would trick me out of it. I look back on this and wonder how. I'm smarter than she is. By far. Bless her heart.
We moved when I was 6 years old from suburbia to Ruralville. Okay, that's not really the name but you get the gist. Halloween was spent walking to houses a quarter mile apart, ringing the doorbell, and being rewarded with a bite size tootsie roll or smarties. We'd come home after two hours of begging with 12 pieces of candy - none of them candy bars.
One year we went to a house and the guy yelled at us. Said he didn't believe in Halloween then slammed the door in our faces. I heard he died a few years ago. I didn't cry.
When I had children, I did the whole planning ahead for Halloween costumes. The year I had my second daughter 10 days before Halloween, I had already sewn my older daughter's costume and bought the appropriate color of tights. I hated it but I had to play the game.
The past few years have been particularly delightful. The kids tell me what they want to be for Halloween and a couple of them (okay, just one) has very specific ideas in their (her) head. I scour ever Target, Walmart, Shopko, Kohl's and resort to internet and nothing is just right. They (she) finally concedes on a costume, I order it, pay shipping, it arrives the day before Halloween and they've (she's) changed her mind and wants something else the day before Halloween.
At school there is always a Halloween party and parade. We can't celebrate Christmas at school and sing religious songs but we can dress up as satanic, damned souls and carry a pitchfork, glorifying the other extreme.
Okay, the real issue is that I feel guilty if I don't take time off work so I can see the costume parade. Trust me, I've seen the costume. I sewed/ordered/pinned the costume. I feel nostalgic when all I had for my costume was a witch mask. Every. Single. Year.
Now neighborhoods do "Trunk or Treats." That's where people park their cars/minivans/Suburbans and the kids go down one street and make out like a bandit in 30 minutes. If you're the people who give out one bite size tootsie roll, the other parents know it. Trunk or Treat is a strike of pure genius.
This year everybody (except the one) came up with a costume from all the crap we have in the dress-up bucket. Even the one found most of her costume there, too. Both daughters offered to take the 5 year old trick or treating. The oldest one offered because she knows she's too old to go herself but people offer candy to her, anyway. Smart girl.
I stayed at home. I didn't sew. I didn't go to Partyland. I didn't wear a witch mask. My kids came home with an incredible amount of candy. Hence, I have quite a selection of candy stash to
I don't hate Halloween, anymore.
I do quite enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteBut I feel bad for kids who aren't Mormon, in Utah. We had a girl come into counseling tonight, whose family moved from another country, to another State, and then to Utah, and they hate it here. They went out last night, and no one was passing out candy. Her 9 year-old brother cried and cried and said it was the worst Halloween of his life. :(
I don't understand the previous comment....
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I used to enjoy Halloween when my kids were tiny and there were so many of them that we made out like bandits on the candy front but they were so small they didn't notice their stash slowly disappearing. Now, it's just work with few rewards. :(
I sewed. I sweated. I walked a thousand city blocks (okay, maybe three) and I WILL eat all your reese's peanut butter cups I tell you!!!
ReplyDeleteAmy, to clarify the comment above yours: Some people believe that trick-or-treating should not be done on Sunday, and do not give out candy on Sunday because of this. It is fairly common in Utah. Here in PA, I know better--tricks are rampant if candy is not delivered!
ReplyDeleteAmy, Kristina is referring to the idea that in Utah if Halloween is on Sunday, the trick-or-treating is done the night before, typically at a trunk-or-treat event as Nancy described in her delightful blog.
ReplyDeleteActually if it's on Sunday in Utah that means there are usually Halloween parties on Friday AND Saturday. Not a bad plan if I do say so. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you have come to not hate it.
ReplyDeleteI still do. I think I always will.
Why is it okay to have Halloween but not Christmas in schools? So weird.
ReplyDeleteWhat was up with the witch masks? That's all I had too! Every year I was the same old witch. Only I didn't have a dress or a cap--I had my mom's old black rayon nightgown.
Top THAT. :)
By the way--totally dorky observation, but I love your posts. I love how they are like little magazine articles and are so well thought out. Like the witch mask reference kept popping up.
ReplyDeleteKeep on keepin' on! You have a writing gift.