I remember a very special costume that my father and I planned for months. His idea was for me to wear a white turtleneck sweater and white pants covered in white toilet paper. My face was also to be covered in the tissue so that, when the outfit was complete, I would look like a mummy. We whispered about it for months. Our goal was for me to sneak out the back door on Halloween night and try to fool my mother when she opened the front door. Well, I looked great when I left the house, but by the time I walked around front, the paper had all practically fallen to my knees, and the surprise was spoiled.
Not letting me fret about what I considered to be a disaster, Mom quickly dressed me up in my red, black and white ruffled dress, clipped on me some of her big hoop dangle earrings and a half a dozen strands of long beads, a little rouge and lipstick along with a ribbon tied across my head. Once the costume was complete, Mom and Dad declared me “Queen of the Flappers” — disaster averted. I felt so pretty.
That night, probably 10 minutes into our trick-or-treating, I thought I was going to freeze to death in that little flapper-style dress. Mom to the rescue. She had brought along a sweater for me “just in case.” I remember thinking that flappers probably didn’t wear button-up sweaters, but Mom convinced me that knits over dresses had been all the rage in the olden days. She sure had a gift of persuasion, and still does.
Thinking back, I don’t remember any organized school-, church- or city-sponsored carnivals for Halloween. Nope, instead we visited our friends’ and neighbors’ homes, all the while trying to remember who had given out the best candy the year before. In our early years, our parents went trick-or-treating with us. As we got older, we kids traveled in small groups and promised our folks that we would be careful.
We’d put the candy in our bags, buckets, sacks or pillowcases, all the while eating and walking, trying to gobble down as many of the sweet treats as possible before going home.
All us kids knew that the minute we got inside our homes, our parents would peruse our loot, looking for inappropriate treats. After confiscating what they deemed dangerous or questionable, our folks would allow us a piece or two of candy (after we had already eaten our fill on the way home) before sending us off to bed with a sugar high that kept us hyped-up for days.
Looking back to those simpler sweet days, I believe that it was the fun of creating homemade costumes with my folks that made Halloween so memorable. I don’t think a store-bought outfit would have been as unforgettable, or even worth writing about.
Have fun with your kids, grandkids and neighbors this Halloween. You just may build some fond memories.
