Ghosts of Halloweens past
When I was a kid back in the 60s, Halloween was a major event. It seemed the entire town delighted in haunted houses and door-to-door trick-or-treating. My sister and I would meet up with our cousins and roam the eastside neighborhood from sunset until 10:00, collecting apples, candy, small bags of popcorn and the occasional dime. Rather than eating it all that night, we’d ration out our goodies and make them last a couple of months because candy was an indulgence that finances didn’t allow often.
We’d start planning our costumes early in September. We were jealous of the kids who could afford the store-bought get-ups with those hard plastic masks for the school parties, but we made do with whatever we could find. It never occurred to us that our parents would do it for us–it was our night and our opportunity to recreate ourselves.
Robbie used to be a football player in Cousin Tom’s old high school jersey and black smudges under his eyes. Leanne would be a secretary–a high aspiration for a kid of our class–in a skirt, high heels and carrying a steno book. Debbie chose a robot made from boxes collected at the grocery store on stocking day. Penny was a blond Pocahontas with pheasant feathers in a construction paper headband and a vest made from a paper sack, brightly decorated with crayons. My sister dressed up as a princess in my mother’s old prom dress. Jim played at being a hippie.
Because I had olive skin and black hair, unlike my fair sister and cousins, I was always a gypsy.
This was, of course, long before I learned that cultural appropriation and stereotyping was wrong, and years before I learned that my grandmother had Rom heritage herself. I had a long bright peasant skirt from my cousin Kathy and a white gauze blouse with elastic around the shoulders that I could pull down. I loved my collection of brightly colored strands of beads that I bought for a nickle a piece at rummage sales. My favorite part was a bright red fabric flower salvaged from one of my grandmother’s dresses that I would fix in my hair with scotch tape. And I was alway barefooted, no matter how cold it was, with bells on a piece of string tied around my ankle. Even then I longed to be exotic if I couldn’t be beautiful. My costume gave me that.
When Halloween rolls around I remember how special I felt back then, I wish for that high again. Unfortunately I’m too old to play dress-up and I don’t get invited to any costume parties, so I settle for handing out candy at the door and giving extra to the kids who obviously made their costumes themselves. Halloween is a time for dreams and make-believe. We all need that, no matter what our age.
October 31st, 2006 at 6:17 pm
I enjoyed reading about your experience of Halloween as a kid.
“who could afford the store-bought get-ups with those hard plastic masks for the school parties”
Ahhh, I remember those! Cartoon characters like Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk, and Batman? And I think there were some female ones, like Sleeping Beauty. (I can’t quite recall if I wanted them but I remember them.)
What a great post, thanks.
October 31st, 2006 at 7:59 pm
Thanks, Melinda.
I really enjoyed writing it - I’m glad you liked reading it.
November 1st, 2006 at 10:40 am
My first Halloween ever, my parents dressed me in a bunny costume (think Ralphie on A Christmas Story–LOL). It was not Pepto Bismol pink though. I was 2 and it was a girlie, pastel pink. From then on, I usually dressed up as either a gypsy or Lord only knows what, depending upon how good my make-up job was and whatever was available to concoct a costume out of. My younger cousins were usually cute, little Disney characters of some sort.
I still love Halloween and I would say we probably greeted 50 last night, and that’s not counting their parents or older siblings who escorted them. We handed out close to 3 gallons of candy and even a few Milk Bones to doggie trick-or-treaters. We had hot, spiced cider for the adults. Since we don’t really have any sort of formal get-together, such as a costume party, we do like to be the home that people feel comfortable taking a short respite at from the cold night and warming up before they journey on. It gives us an opportunity to be social with our surrounding neighbors. We ourselves are too trifling to dress up, and we don’t do anything scary inasmuch as lots of our little guests are babies and pre-schoolers.
November 1st, 2006 at 10:56 am
My mom always made costumes for my sister and I. We would get to say what we wanted and maybe make a sketch and then she would sew it. Halloween was always a time of creativity and excitement (although I did use old ice show costumes a few years) and I loved it. My favorite was when she made me a Voltron costume (Voltron was the forebearer of the Power Rangers). My sister had a fantastic My Little Pony costume one year complete with decal on the tush.
November 1st, 2006 at 11:30 am
I remember those grocery-carton robots. At our house, Halloween was more fun if you used found materials.
Thanks for some great memories.
November 1st, 2006 at 9:55 pm
Getting dressed up was never the high point of Halloween for me, until I was in college and it was geeky.
But my family has made a big thing out of the giving out of candy: dressing up as a witch (first Mom, then later me) to meet the kids, a little string and crepe around the front door, loud spooky music (Night on Bald Mountain, etc.) on the stereo, and a black drape over the candy cauldron through which they had to reach….
November 2nd, 2006 at 7:17 am
This is so great how you’re sharing your Halloween memories — thank you, all of you. I’m enjoying reading them.