I’m old enough to write about how Halloween used to be for us when I was younger. It used to be so much more fun than what I see today. To be fair, I think parents are gravitating towards the days of their own youth, and letting their own kids have more fun the way they remembered it.
I can remember being so excited to wear my costume. Most of the time, it was something made up from things we had around the house already. Old clothes and shoes, cardboard boxes, a bit of paint, etc. Now and then, Mom would buy those costumes that came in a box with the plastic mask that you had hanging around your neck more than wore it on your face.
I grew up in Chicago so it was usually cold and sometimes rainy. We didn’t care. If Halloween fell on a school day, we’d rush home from school, get into our costumes and meet up with our friends to go Trick-or-Treating. We traveled in large groups. Some parents came along but mostly, we were on our own. We stayed in our own neighborhoods where we knew people.
We would be out until long past dark. When we got home, we had a bath and Mom usually had some hot chocolate waiting for us. Sometimes, just hot milk and sugar. She and Dad would go through the candy and pick out the stuff they didn’t want us to have. Those were the days of apples, cookies, pennies, Bit O Honey and suckers. An occasional cupcake or brownie would find its way into our bags too. Candy would last until Easter, when we’d get more candy. Mom was pretty strict about how much candy we were allowed to eat. She was determined that our teeth were well cared for. Disappointing for us, yes, but when we were allowed to have a treat it was truly a treat.
When I had my kids, I attended a church that scared us into thinking that we would go to hell if we celebrated Halloween. As a result, they didn’t grow up like I did, with the fun of Trick-or-Treating to look forward to. I do regret that. As an alternate treat for them, my husband and I would take the kids to a hotel and spend the night in the pool after a dinner out at a restaurant. Not the same thing, but they didn’t seem to mind. They still had fun.
Since then I have learned that celebrating Halloween didn’t mean I would go to hell. It was a fun, innocent time and I decorate my house as much as possible, sit outside with a giant bowl of candy and enjoy seeing the creative costumes the kids dress up in. I don’t worship the devil. I don’t frighten little ones. Jesus is still my Savior and God is still on the throne.
Happy Halloween!
Dipped In Sparkles 
I grew up in a big town that pretended to be a small city. We’d map out all the houses where the good stuff would be handed out–caramel apples, popcorn balls, “real” candy bars–not Tootsie Rolls or candy corn. We wanted to hit them first before supplies ran out! We could backtrack to all the other houses. Costumes got handed down or dug out of playthings in the closet. I was a cowgirl often–boots, jeans, vest, and my Roy Rogers double holster six-shooters. I had to go as a clown one year. It sucked. LOL But the roaming squads of kids going house to house was like what you see in the movies and on commercials. It was fun and the next day at school meant a huge candy trade because we all had our favorites.
Our church’s “name date” was/is Nov. 1–All Saint’s Day and Halloween was All Hallows (All Saints) Eve. Always a good party at the church the following night–with bobbing for apples, costume contest, and the white elephant auction.
Tricks were left to the “big kids” who’d shepherd younger siblings and then they’d get together and go teepee someone’s house. Getting teepee’d was an honor–meant you were popular.
After we had our Only, I made her costumes. Her first Halloween (a year and a day after her birth) she was Snoopy. We kept that costume and her own kiddo wore it his first Halloween. She was a firefighter (the year we had her party at the local fire station.) The Little Mermaid, with a red-yarn wig and a sparkly green sequined “tail.” The long-sleeved top was flesh colored with purple seashells in the “appropriate spots” and Velcroed up the back. She was a cowgirl, a ninja (that was the year of the sleet storm and I wore my real bunker gear to stay warm. The firefighting gear that protects you from fire also keeps you warm. LOLOL. Ah, the memories. Luckily, she’s carrying them on with her kid.
Sadly, we no longer give out candy. We’ve lived in this neighborhood so long, all the kids have aged out, moved away, and have kids of their own. Not many little ones come, but big ones do and Halloween when the one that waved his real pistol around when my husband wouldn’t empty the bowl into his pillow case was pretty much the last straw. When I racked the shell in the 12 gauge shotgun (the action makes a very distinctive sound), he decided to cut and run. The local cops picked him up about two blocks away. Then Covid hit. And now a lot of churches and organizations do “trunk-n-treat” events. There’s Haunt the Zoo and the Haunted West (at the Western Heritage Museum), all of which I think are awesome, especially when I priced candy this year. Holy Cannoli! Also, the temps will be hovering around freezing tonight so I doubt many get out with all the other possibilities. I’m glad your neighborhood is keeping up the tradition. It’s a fun one when done the old-fashioned way.
I didn’t mean to be so long-winded but you know us writerly types and this has been a fun trip down memory lane. Thanks for that. And Happy Halloween! 👻🎃🦇
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Thank you for that memory share! We are new to this neighborhood but we see kids out playing all the time. There will always be kids because this neighborhood will always be changing. Our location is convenient for Ft. Campbell and there’s a lot of military families that rotate in and out. Just up the street are rental units so that will always change as well. Each year will be different and, hopefully, fun!
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My brother and I were robbed!! Of fun.
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We tried to make it fun in other ways! I’m sorry! LOL
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I remember being a blue Crayola one year. Homemade costume. Running from house to house with my friends and coming home with a pillow case full of candy (because neither Mom or Aunt Ro ever got us the nice Halloween bags).
Best Halloween ever!!
But the better Halloweens were when my kids were little and my neighbor and I used to trick or treat with them while drinking wine. The amount of judgmental, side-eyes we got from unapproving parents. We didn’t care. We had warmed spiced wine and we weren’t drunk. Just having fun.
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BTW – I love this series of “Holidays of Old”…..if that’s what you’re doing. LOL
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I will be, with every holiday. 🙂
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