Trick or Treat!
It’s Throw Back Thursday – Back quite a few years ago, to more recent memories of Halloween.
I grew up in a rural town in western New York State. To go trick or treating was not for those kids that wanted easy treats! To go trick or treating was tiring! Lots of walking. Back in the day, we respected people’s property and were not allowed to cut across lawns. Besides, you never knew if there were any dangers crossing yards, like uneven ground or ‘land mines’. Driveways in rural areas could mean some long walks up and down instead of across and through yards. We’d head out for the night with our pillowcases, ‘crank’ noise makers, flashlights and homemade costumes for some pretty great treats – full-sized candy bars, popcorn balls, apples, cider. donuts and more. Up one side of the road and down the other. There were no sidewalks on my road. No street lamps to light the way. When we went on vacation, we’d always bring back small bars of hotel soap. We’d ring the doorbells, yell “Trick or Treat”, ‘crank’ the noisemaker, showing them the bar of soap! Of course we never soaped any windows; it was all in good fun. And, it was always cold on Halloween too! Nothing like having your winter coat, boots, gloves on under your costume! Some years it even snowed!
I think one of my favorite costumes as a child was an Indian. The costume was an old southwestern-style striped blanket with fringe, fashioned into a dress – large enough to wear my winter coat underneath! I even had a wig of braids, made from old stockings. On my back was a papoose, with one of my dolls in it. People would call me back to the door after seeing me walk away to exclaim with delight about the papoose! I made headbands for both my doll and me. As a much younger girl, I was a monkey, complete with stocking-stuffed tail, Shriner’s cap and a soft rubber, hot monkey mask. I’m not sure I was ever a princess, unless you want to count the Indian costume as an Indian princess. Growing up, we had a ‘costume barrel’ in the basement, full of ideas, accessories, ‘crank’ noisemakers and more. I continued the ‘costume barrel’ tradition as my children grew up. Full of dance costumes, clown costumes, witch costumes, princess costumes and more. Many costumes also continued the tradition of being homemade.
Pumpkins. Oh the fun of choosing just the right pumpkin, drawing the face on the side, cutting into the flesh of the pumpkin, removing the gross and gooey seeds and making it a traditional Jack-o’Lantern! Back in the day, we put candles inside to illuminate the face that we had carved.
As the children grew up, we were still in a pretty rural area, no sidewalks, no streetlights. Many of our neighbors were surprised to receive trick or treaters ringing their bell, even with their lights on! By that time, parents were taking their children into the housing tracts and developments for easier, ‘safer’ trick or treating. I remember doing that one year and being constantly asked if we lived in the neighborhood. We only had our door bell rung a very few times each year we lived there – mostly a couple neighbor children and a few friends stopping by to show us their children’s costumes. No more full sized candy bars. No more homemade popcorn balls. No more invitations inside for cider and donuts. Times change.
We like to decorate the house for all the holidays and Halloween is no different. Fall decorations abound inside and out. Fall baking leaves the house smelling wonderfully delicious.
As we’ve moved around the country, different neighborhoods celebrate Halloween in different ways. There’s safe trick or treating at malls and shopping centers. There’s organized Halloween parties for kids. When we lived in Florida, the tradition was to sit at the road-side of your driveway to give out candy to the kids. It had been a few years since we participated in giving out candy, and not thinking, we bought chocolate. In Florida! What were we thinking? Yes, it melted! Lesson learned that first year!
Where we currently live, I was surprised to get a few knocks on my door the first year. I had not signed up to participate in giving out treats. I scrambled and came up with small bags of chips and other items. My new neighbor knocked on my door and handed me her huge bowl of candy! She heard people knocking on my door, but not on hers! It seems the office put the wrong apartment number on the map! Mystery solved! I’m all signed up for tonight’s visitors. Since the hallways are inside and climate controlled, I am once again giving out chocolate – Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins. My Vegas desert cactus Jack o’Lantern will be lit up outside my door (see picture above).
Going back, once again to my children’s growing up years, I threw a few Halloween parties for their friends. It was fun watching them bob for apples — hung with string from the ceiling! And the squeals from the dark as they touched ‘devil’s brains’ and ‘eye of Newt’, which of course were spaghetti and olives! Cider and donuts, games, costumes and of course treat bags were the norm.
Want to take Halloween to the next level? Visit a Disney park or take a Disney cruise during the Halloween season! You know Disney knows how to celebrate the holidays! Venture out in your neighborhood or surrounding area for a haunted hay ride, haunted house, ghost tour or corn maze! Check out the neighbor’s Halloween and Fall decorations. Attend a Halloween party! My most current – a few years ago – Halloween parties were with Red Hatters, at work for our Corporate Halloween Throwdown and at a senior apartment complex. Yes, I confused a few seniors with my Mrs. Claus costume in October! But they loved the home-baked Spritz cookies in red poinsettia and green tree shapes. Working for a gaming company, one year I dressed up as a slot machine and included a gaming table with chocolate gaming chips on my desk. Another year my department won for our overall Luau theme. Lots of fun. Candy. Great costumes. Candy. Food. Candy. Prizes. Candy. Pumpkin decorating contests. Candy. Did I mention candy?!
Speaking of candy – just one question: Do you like candy corn? The question seems to be popular right about now and very divided with the answers! I used to use it to decorate cupcakes or sugar cookies to look like pumpkins. In truth, I don’t mind candy corn! But then, I have a sweet tooth. Leave me a comment with your preference for or against this confection. Who knows, I may have another contest brewing in my bubbling cauldron!
Happy Halloween everyone! Be safe out there!
Twenty Steps at a Time 