My memories of Halloween’s when I was young
are warm and wonderful! My mother sewed
very well, so she made costumes for my sisters and me. She was really creative, so I remember a few
of my costumes clearly. One big thing I
remember, and carried on with my own children, was that we never wore
masks. We wore makeup, and my mother was
good at that as well.
We lived in California, so it was often warm
enough not to require jackets, allowing our costumes to show.
My older sister was two years older than
me; I was the middle child; and my “little” sister is 3 ½ years younger still. My mother often made our clothes and dressed
us alike – not just for Halloween. Adults
thought we looked so cute; but looking back, with our age differences, I think
it was a bit odd.
Dressing us all the same one year, I
remember we wore “The Three Little Pigs” costumes. They were really cute with little “screwed” pipe
cleaners for our tails.
Another year, I was a “harem girl” wearing
a pretty green outfit with sheer sleeves and legs. I remember feeling beautiful in that
costume. I was a “cigarette girl” with
the tray full of boxes of candy cigarettes.
It was a “grown-up” costume that I really enjoyed. Some of you may remember cigarette girls that
walked around “night clubs” saying, “Cigars, Cigarettes,” selling them to the
patrons. Of course, smoking was quite
acceptable back then.
At the corner of the street where we lived,
there was an empty dirt lot. For several
years carnivals were set up on the lot on Halloween night. We loved that!
I am not very creative, and I do not sew,
so my children did not have as many really great costumes that I had. I remember one year, however, that I created
a robot costume for my son, and he won first place at his school! I covered a box with foil for the body; milk
cartons covered with foil were the legs and arms; he wore a foil hat; and all
the pieces were tied together with silver cord.
I put silver face paint on him to complete the look.
For a few years when my sons were young, we
went to a roller rink (remember them?), and they had a costume parade, contests
and other fun events. Although kids still go “trick or treating,” some
places hold Halloween events. Most
shopping malls have costume contests, and the kids “trick or treat” at all the
stores where they hand out candy. In
some areas, children would not be safe going door to door, so it is nice that more
Halloween activities are planned in public places today.
I’d love to see some of your Halloween
stories, so feel free to post them below.
I wish you all a fun and safe holiday.
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