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Monday, September 30, 2013

Memories of Halloween - 3 of 3

Memories of Halloween

Times have really changed since I was a child.  Way back then…, Halloween was about plastic masks, cut up bed sheets, candy, and cartoon specials on the TV.  Now, its about how sexy can you be, how much trouble can you cause, and still…candy (thank goodness!).  Don’t get me wrong, I did my share of TP’ing as a child, but I never stole candy from children, nor did I sit in wait to scary the crap out of unsuspecting children out for the candy beg, or beat them up in the process.  I also would not have been allowed out of the house in some of the outfits that pass as costumes today.  WOW…why can’t they just be children for a while?  Why do they have to be sexy costumes?  Not just dress up like a bee, but a sexy bee.  Wonder Woman is now sexy Wonder Woman.  Vampires?  Sexy…and on and on it goes.  I don’t get girls anymore.  The point of dressing up, as you now know if you read my previous posts, is to scare away the spirits, not to show off your behind or chest for the members of the opposite sex.  Some of my costumes were of the sad variety, but everyone’s were back then.  Parents didn’t have the money or maybe the desire to shell $45 a year for a one-night event.  We used boxes and painted them up like the Rubic’s cube.  We cut up old sheets to be ghosts.  We got a $3 mouse nose, to match with a brown shirt and pants.  A black leo with painted on whiskers and construction paper ears.  That was Halloween. Half the fun was coming up with and putting into action a costume.  Ok, consumerism, and sexification of our youth rant over.  Moving on.

One of my favorite traditions to this day, is cutting and creating Jack-o-Lanters.  As a child it was the ole triangle eyes, nose, and jagged mouth.  Today, it’s an incredible feat, hours in the making.  I love the finished product of the candle lit from within.  It makes a nice festive moment of darkness and light.  It’s creepy and yet lovely all at the same time.  Yes, pumpkins are a favorite. 

One of the other moments of the Halloween season that I really look forward to, are the horror movies!  October hits and all the scary movies you can think of can be found on channel after channel and full of gore, fear, and death.  I love this time of year!  I am sure the Stephen King marathon will be coming on soon.  I will be losing sleep over it.  Who can go to sleep when at 2 a.m. CUJO is coming on?  Or Salem’s Lot!  Yes, the best thing about the season is all the horror flicks.  I love them!  (FYI I just checked and… AMC is starting their Stephen King Marathon right now!  It goes through the 11th of October. Yes!)

The last item on my list of Halloween Tradition favorites…the CANDY.  What would Halloween be without Sixlets, or Oh Henry bars, a bag full of tootsie rolls?  Thankfully my children were always very nice to me and shared their candy horde.  It’s a good thing, as I would have had to lower myself to stealing it from them.  Hey, I bought the stupid costume, took them around in the frozen rain (It’s Ohio, it always rains on Halloween or snows.) through numb toes, and frozen ears.  I deserve a Milky Way!  I do!

So what are your plans for the event of the year?  You better hurry up and figure it out, I saw Christmas trees in the aisles this past weekend.  They may just chuck out all the Halloween fun and fill it with elves and such before the end of the month.  You could miss out if you don’t decide soon.  You may not like it, but you know I’m right all the same. Ha!

Happy October!  I love this month!


ctny

3 comments:

  1. Unfortunately, the Christmas stuff around here has been out for weeks! By the time December comes, you'd better have bought all you need to get because the pickins are slim to none by then. Geez!

    Since we don't have kids, Halloweeen isn't much to us anymore. I don't carve pumpkins but do remember it being one of my fondest memories as a child. As an adult, I do get sort of into decorating the outside for Halloween but I'd have to say my favorite part is passing out the candy to all the kiddy goblins, princesses, and sorcerers. But the sexy vampires and other costumes, it aggravates me too but I still give them candy! I agree with you about the costumes of today. You see very few homemade costumes anymore but parents just don't have the time they once did, I guess.

    I'm not into the horror movies, I'm too much of a scaredy cat, I am a fluffy picture book writer afterall... but I hope you have fun watching them! Watch your back! Boooooooooooooooooo!

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  2. Today at Kroger I saw the fall outdoor deco replaced with Snowmen. I was quite sad by this actually.

    As I live out in the country, we dont get beggars for Trick or Treat night. I wish we did, as I think that would make the night a bit more fun for me. I could be wrong, but I always think it would.

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  3. Christmas in Sept./Oct. is just SICK. And not sick in a cool way. ;) That would be great if you could approve costumes before you handed out candy. Oh, think of the power! :D But seriously, I concur with your rant, and am right there ranting with you.

    I can't make anything good enough for Roz by today's standards. I'm already wracking my brain for her costume this year. I only need a cape, but still don't know how to do it.

    The horror movies are the best part, but thank goodness I can watch them any time on Netflix... I'm a lightweight these days. I used to think handing candy out was fun until we moved here and got about 3000 children passing through.

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