The Forgotten Halloween

Taking a break today from writing about my oc journey, to write about my favorite holiday… Happy Halloween all!

Truly, one of my favorite holidays. I have always enjoyed the creativity of the costumes, wigs and make up, and of course all of the candy that Halloween brings. I have such fond memories of trick or treating around my neighborhood growing up. Baldwin Harbor was safe, and the streets were always filled with kids galore talking about which house to go to because they were giving out the best candy.  I remember wearing those plastic masks with an elastic band, and a funny face on it, along with a costume made out of some flammable polyester material, as we ran from house to house to collect our goodies. We also collected pennies back then in an orange box for Unicef. I don’t remember ever being escorted around by an adult though... Ahhh, the innocent days of childhood.

In high school, our innocence turned into adventure, and we had “bad boys night” the night before Halloween, and “bad girls night” the night after. This made for three nights of egg throwing, shaving cream fights and running around the neighborhood. We had no worries; it was all in good fun. Even in college, we had so much fun, creating costumes (see pic of tube of toothpaste a toothbrush - U of B 1981) and drinking beer! No egg throwing or shaving cream fights anymore, but Halloween meant fun, and fun it always was for me.

When I became a mom, I couldn’t wait to dress Evan up in costumes for Halloween! His first costume was a cow. He was the cutest little cow ever. I have a picture from then somewhere, when I find it, I will post it. His Nana and I took him to a few houses, with his little plastic pumpkin to hold his candy in. I think, well… I know, Nana and I had more fun than he did J.  A couple of years later his dad and I took him trick or treating around the old neighborhood that held such great memories for me. He was a fireman that year, and his boots were too big on him, but he didn’t care, he wanted to wear them… We got to a house on Bertha Drive, and the man answered the door with a really scary mask on (not funny), and Evan got so scared he screamed, then jumped into his dad’s arms. We felt so badly for the little guy, and the man apologized up and down, he felt awful. Then I looked down for a moment and there they were standing on their own, Evans boots. He got so scared; he jumped right out of them! I couldn’t help but laugh looking at those little boots just standing there with no feet in them!

When Evan was in the third grade, I had met Frank. With Frank came Brittany, which I considered a really great deal! Frank and I share many of the same interests, but the one that stands out the most is that we both love kids, so of course, we had to have a Halloween party for 40 kids plus! We had so much fun. I made a really cool creepy kind of cake (see pic), Frank barbequed; we had a costume contest, carving pumpkins table, tattoos, a pinata and a wish on a balloon send off. Evan and Britt were exhausted at the end of the party, a true sign of a good time.

Starting when we moved into our house 7 years ago, each year, on the first weekend of October, we would decorate for Halloween. I had accrued lots and lots of decorations over the years, so let’s just say, our front yard was full of scarecrows and witches, and funny ghosts, and pumpkins, and bales of hay. I always went for the fun theme as opposed to the scary, creepy type of theme.

This was the first year we didn’t decorate. It was more important to spend our one free weekend preparing for The Circle’s bowling event, to raise money for medical research for ovarian cancer while raising awareness, then to decorate for Halloween.  But, Halloween still came, and I enjoyed baking and decorating spider, mummy and ghoulish cupcakes for the high school bake sale. I really got a kick out of staying for the sale and seeing so many of the students and staff dress up. Some really creative costumes going on there! There was a frog on a lily pad, lots of kitty cats, and scary faces, but my favorites were two of Evan’s teacher’s who really went for bust. One dressed as Fay Wray from King Kong, and the other as an Angry Bird (see pic).

I was warmed today as I lived vicariously through their spirit for the holiday. Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that can really be very, very big. Life is so worth living.