I love Halloween. I don't know what it is about this holiday...holiday? I believe it is a holiday, at least for retailers and people who decorate their houses. It seems to be a huge business for Haunted Houses or Fright Worlds and Corn Mazes (I call it Maize). Halloween paraphernalia is out right after the Back to School supplies are gone which, I guess now, is July. But I do love this season.
Maybe it's the costumes or possibly and most likely the candy (fun sized butterfingers..yes please.. 3 or 4 of them) I know it's not the horror movies and the desire to be scared. Of course my definition of scary has change since I was a kid. It used to be monsters in your house and noises and ghosts. Now its any time one of my kids say ...."I have something to tell you " or "what's this thing on my neck..." Those phrases make my blood run cold and grays my hair like the bride of Frankenstein. Monsters and noises at night???...bring 'em on. I've looked in the face of fear, my friends, and it's called a "pre unlimited texting cell phone bill". Although I'm still not crazy about that whole under the bed scenario...I've seen too many movies. I read somewhere that Stephen King won't have any part of his body hang over the bed when he sleeps. Hey, who can argue with the man that thought up those creepy twins in The Shining. And I have to admit I still can't bring myself to watch The Exorcist....never have, never will.
So I think I love the dressing up part of Halloween that I love. It's a chance to be someone or something else for the day. I never wanted to be a nurse but it was fun to dress up as one. See, I work at an elementary school and it is a great excuse to "have to " dress up. It's surprising how many people detest this day. Of course at school, it's about a week of sugar induced ADHD and kids talking about what horror movie they are "allowed" to watch. Mind you, the the school only goes up to 5th grade (about 10 year olds) and the little darlings are talking about watching Saw. Seriously, Saw??? I refuse to watch that. The scary part is kids that can't remember that a quarter is worth 25 cents are probably memorizing the tortures scenes for future use.
Anyway, I do love the dressing up. I think it comes from my childhood. I do believe my mom was one of those who detested that day. In those days my choices for Halloween costumes were limited to hippie, gypsy or Indian (sorry, it was politically correct to use that word back then). Those three were interchangeable ...give or take some beads and move around the head band. My sister and I were one of those 3 things every year from ages 7-12. I guess it didn't matter because Halloween in Buffalo usually meant a winter coat over your costume anyway.
As I got older and was able to create my own costumes...my world opened up to a wind up doll, Space waitress and on to Miss Yvonne to my boyfriend/now husband's Pee Wee Herman (pre- masturbation in the theatre Pee Wee Herman) and I even dyed my very black hair very red and we were Lucy & Ricky Ricardo. We had parties where everyone dressed up. I used to love to see people going about their party business costumes and all. Where else can you see a bloody shot up gangster having an very in depth conversation with a full grown Winnie the Pooh. I mean a real serious conversation. I would also like when you were driving and there was a bunny driving next to you....or a Star Wars Storm Trooper ...or a clown....well that last one is horrifying . It was amazing how many costumes were so inventive and sometime inappropriate (funny inappropriate, that is....read on) Plus, we used to hate the girls that would come to these parties in "pretty costumes" as we used to call them. Now it seems to be the norm. No matter what you dress up as ...it's sexy.
Vampire....a sexy vampire . Little red riding hood....sexy little red riding hood. ...a nun...a sexy nun?...sexy Cinderella....sexy witch. It's like a fetish episode of HBO's Real Sex. Gives new meaning to Trick or Treat now doesn't it.
But another reason I love Halloween is that we moved into our house on that day. I remember watching our new neighbors looking at us .... a Black Cat walking up the drive way with a little Snow White and an even littler Batman. (my son was Batman for about 4 years, by choice though).
My kids, as you may have guessed, loved and still love Halloween. I recall sitting in a dance studio in May when my girls got their costumes and thinking....all right!!!....awesome Halloween costumes!!! They had 2 or 3 costumes ...indoor ones and out door Buffalo Halloween ones. Ninja Turtle, Jasmine from Aladdin, Little Bo Peep. Phantom of the Opera, a parrot, a viking...the list went on and one. I'm proud to say they still dress up and the costumes are all pretty clever. They don't get candy anymore unfortunately...but there is some kind of liquid treat involved.
So I will always have a fondness for this holiday. Now I get to relive all the fun of carving pumpkins and weeding through candy with the next generation of costume loving kids (my grandson is Tigger this year, but at any time of year will walk around the house with a dish towel tucked in his shirt so he can be Superman).
And speaking of candy...don't give out those gross black and orange wrapped whatevers. What are those???...or worse..apples (remember the razor blade in apples urban legand) or the very worst....pennies. You might as well give out eggs and toilet paper because that's what your house will be covered with if you give out pennies! I am big on bubble gum....and huge hand-fulls of bubble gum at that (if I buy chocolate, I have found...it will never make it to Halloween, no matter where I hide it... so I have learned to buy the stuff that will make it to the 31st.) So whatever you give...just don't be skimpy. It's all about filling the pillow case...it's all about the hand fulls...and that's what you get when you come to my house and always will even when I'm too old to dress up in anything but a house coat...a sexy house coat.....just saying
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