I know a lot of folks don't get into Halloween but I've always loved it. For me, it was a fun time that fostered my creativity, brought me together with my little friends and signaled the beginning of the holiday season. I grew up in a small town in the days when no one worried about 'dangerous' treats and few people locked their doors at night. I'd gather with my little girlfriends and we'd visit everyone in town, many of whom went all out by actually making their popcorn balls or dipping apples into carmel. Homemade treats were the norm, not the exception in those days. We knew everyone and the folks in town happily took pics, teased and tormented us as we made them 'guess' who was behind the mask! The air was crisp with fall in the air and, in those days, it was always tempting to dig through our bags to ooh and aah over what we had been given.I brought that love of the occasion into my own home and nothing tickled me more than to come up with the perfect costumes for my kids. I think my daughter set the record for the number of times one could be a witch. I tended toward the fancy stuff...lots of orange or black taffeta, lace, velvet witch hats and fancy black shoes with big buckles or lace up boots. My photo album is full of pics of her, at various ages, in her witchy attire. My son trended toward ninjas, vampires, pirates and one year he was a b
ig black spider. Fascinating costume, that one. He'd wear black sweats and step into a body suit that featured a big padded belly. The many spider legs were attached to his arms to spread out when he raised his arms.My sister had two boys who were close to my kids ages so I'd box up my used costumes and she would do the same and we'd ship them to each other. Since we were in different states, this worked like a charm (especially for the boy stuff). Saved us both money plus the kids got something new and cool to wear for their trick or treating.
Now my kids are grown and doing more 'adult' Halloween stuff but I must admit that I miss those days of walking with them through the neighborhood on a crisp October night.
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I remember those days. Cute little princesses walking around. I'd do their make up and hair with lots of curls and and rhinestone pins. "C" was an adorable Blue's Clue's puppy one year. And had to be the cutest pumpkin in the patch when he was three. The last time he dressed up was for a party last year and he was a bottle of tequila. Don't ask.
Last year "J" dressed up like Alice In Wonderland, but I'm afraid it was closer to the porn version than the YA version. sighhh
"C" has plans for an all weekend haunted forest tour with friends. I remember doing those too. Kids screaming, tugging on my shirt, pushing me ahead, bruising me. LOL
"T" is looking for sexy Halloween wear this year too. I can't blame them. I had a costume made for me when I was 22. It was a nun's habit. And I was the nun with the BAD habit. LOL Complete with red sequin garter and LOW cleavage. Black seamed stockings and spikey red heels. Oh lord. The tips I made that night. Tucked right into my little red garter too. LOL NOPE, not tellin'. LOL
I LOVE HALLOWEEN.
I remember them too. When my boys were little, I'd take them all through the neighborhood. One of our neighbors, an elderly man, treated our boys like his own grandkids. He'd give my boys coin dollars along with the candy treats. I do miss those days. Maybe now that I have the grandbaby, we can enjoy more wonderful Halloweens. It's one of my most favorite holidays.
Seems they go from cute to sexy in a flash, Tess. These days my daughter is debating between her Sookie Stackhouse waitress uniform and a sexy Racecar driver. LOL. Have no idea what she'll end up wearing this year or even what her plans are.
HAHAHHA. Trying to imagine the sexy nun thing, hon!
That's the thing with grandchildren, Judith! You get to do it all over again. I'll confess, I love it when the little ones come to my door on Halloween night. Adorable! Bumblebees, little fairies and tiny pumpkins.
I kinda have a soft spot for Halloween. It's built into me since my birth certificate says October 31 12:41 am on it. LOL
I remember having a great time dressing up, but the two best times were as an adult. One year, when I worked in a Jr High, there was a big party at the science dept head's house. I was on the social committee so I had to be dressed up. I wore a nightgown and negligee and teased my hair up high, did my makeup all exotic with black lips...and went as Elvira. I think my cleavage won the costume contest. The other time was when I was pregnant and my roommate cut holes in two flowered sheets and took me trick or treating as ghosts. She was 6 feet tall and we looked so weird people gave us a lot of candy. I had over 5 pounds!
When Nikki was little her godfather and I always made sure she had a cool costume to wear. We'd take her out in his neighborhood in South OC and then we'd go to dinner for my birthday.
These days, she's far too old for any of that stuff. She just hangs with friends and plays drinking games. I get a phone call and an I love you and that's that.
Not sure what Rott and I will do this year since it's our 12 year anniversary the week before. Prolly nothing since I have to work!
I envy you. Here, Halloween has only just started getting like America, and even then it's pretty lame compared to you guys. I love it too, and decorate the outside of the house, answer the door in weird clothing--hang on, that's me every day hahaha...joking--and play spooky music through the letterbox.
So, educate me, Reg, you delicious bundle of lushness. What the hell are popcorn balls?
:)
Elvira, huh? HAHHAHAHA I can envision that. It's kind of cool that you can do the combo birthday/halloween thing. Our wedding annivery is Oct. 30 and when we go out to celebrate we are surrounded by the Halloween stuff. Kind of makes everything a bit more festive.
Ahhhh Nat, you are missing out with the popcorn balls. You make up this syrupy stuff and pour it over the popcorn and form them into balls. I tried to do this with my kids one year. They insisted. Unfortunately my syrup stuff was too damn hot and it kinda melted the popcorn. Lordy, it was a mess! I figure it's much easier to just buy them these days. I remember the old ladies in our town were so good at making them though. My grandma would make soooo many, wrap them up in plastic wrap and pass them out like crazy. Her girlfriend Mabel was a champion candied apple person. LOL.
As to funny stuff for Halloween, I'll never forget our neighbor across the street. He laid in a coffin in his front lawn all night while spooky music was playing. When the kids walked up, he'd stretch out his spooky hand (yellow fingernails, hair, etc) and drop the candy in their bags. He had a stash of black plastic rats too and when older kids came up, that's what they got. LOL. Ingenius idea.
Halloween's my favorite holiday. I love the candy and the fall festivities and the dressing up. I went as a goth a few years ago to Salem, Massachusetts and watched horror movies at a festival all night long. We had a blast! Believe me, I looked like everyone in Salem that night. LOL
I remember when I found the costume for the White Ranger on Power Rangers for my son the week the White Ranger came on TV in the U. S. Everyone wanted to know how I found that costume so fast. I made most of it but he had the mask and the sword from a comic book shop I frequented. Best Halloween costume EVAR! And he loved it. Most popular grade school kid in his class. LOL
I loved dressing up in college for Halloween parties and dances. I went as a harem dancer one year, Nefertiti another year, and a Siamese temple dance yet another year. I kept winning prizes. So much fun! I don't dress up any more but when I did I had a blast.
My husband and I worked a haunted house. He was a ghoul guide and I was in charge of costumes. Talk about fun!
I'm NOT laughing that your syrup was too hot, Reg, honestly.
:-/ <-- see?
Hmm. Not seen those popcorn balls over here at all. I'm not going to try and make them. I'll only mess it up.
:)
Oh boy. I miss this holiday so much. It's so sad to me that my kids are too old for it. I loved watching them dress up, their eyes light up as the candy went into their little pumkin baskets. They'd get so excited when they saw how much candy they were getting. *sniff, sniff*
I love Halloween. If you don't belive it check my FB pics. My love of Halloween comes from the fact that my grandparents made Halloween a joy.
My grandmother would buy our costumes. We would go to the her house and pick them up. She lived up the trail so this took like 5 secs(I grew up in the country) and we would change into them.
We would then go back to her house and yell trick or treat she would give us candy.
Then about 20 miutes later we would go back and trick or treat my grandfather the same way.
Since my kids were little I have dressed up on Halloween they are getting older and don't much appreciate it.
But thank God for my being 16 years older than my youngest sibling whose kids are really little.
I am going to be dressing up for a long time.
Don't know what it is about Halloween, Lizzie. It's just a fun atmosphere. I seem to remember you talking about that trip to Salem a few years ago. It sounded like so much fun.
Honestly, Nat, though the kids often asked I never attempted them again. My grandma did a great job with them. Not me.
I know, Anne, I'm the same. I loved hunting down the perfect costume, getting them all spook-i-fied and taking lots of pictures. Fun times.
Lucky you, Abigail! I still dress up (slightly) to answer the door. I have a big velvet witch hat and since I usually wear lots of black, it works. So I still try to enjoy the moment.
We're going to get the girls' costumes this weekend! We're excited. It's going to be fun this year because my youngest is really going to "get" it. I think she's going to have a blast!
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