Monday, November 3, 2008

Halloween Past

I had a rather boring Halloween. Jim had to go to the church for Trunk or Treat and I had to stay behind to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids. We usually get some cute little ones but this year we only got big teenagers. Their bags were already half full and they weren't even nice. After awhile I just turned off the lights. The only highlight was when Susann came by with the kids. Even Betty Boop got excited to see them.

It made me remember the Halloweens in the past. I used to love Halloween as a kid. Our costumes were never store bought. I was a ghost (a bed sheet with 2 holes cut in it for eyes); a pirate (ragged jeans, a bandanna, junk necklaces, eye patch made from electrician tape); a princess (a prom dress purchased from Goodwill, no crown) and the most common-the hobo (similar to pirate but no necklace or eye patch and the bandanna now tied to a stick for a ruck sack). The school always had a costume judging contest, never won it. Didn't care.

Everyone wore their costume to school that day and we ended school early for the Halloween carnival. I went to Central School and they would set the carnival up in the street by the playground. The school was set up with lots of booths to win things. Each booth would have a game, like fishing, ring toss, knock down the bottles, etc. The prize was a cheap plastic toy like a spider ring. It seemed everyone got a prize. You had to buy a ticket to play, they were a nickel apiece. We usually got a dollar to buy tickets and I always was watching the ground for lost tickets I could grab.

I spent half my tickets on the booths and half on the cake walk. I wanted to win a cake so bad. Each year I would walk round and round and when the music stopped they would call out a number and the winner got a cake. It was NEVER mine! I never won but every year I kept trying. I loved it anyway.

They had chili and Kool-aid which was free, but you had to buy anything else. Since it was cafeteria food, we didn't eat much. We were too excited for the rest of the evening. Trick or Treating. We started at our house and went to Nana and Gramps collecting goodies along the way. We mostly were given penny candy, but one time I got a candy bar. No one else got it - just me! I was so excited. Sometimes people gave out pennies or nickles when they ran out of candy, that was also very good.

We ate so much candy we were sick for days. But loved every minute of it.

5 comments:

The Northwest Bunch said...

This year was a moment of truth that my children are growing up. Hayden wanted to go with only his football buddies and Mackenzie wanted to be with her friends. So we were left with only two, Delaynie and Reagan. It was fun, but the time of us all being together seems gone. We just have to remember the all the times we were together and the fun we shared.
Oh, I love the letters that you are making on Super Saturday. Are you covering them in fabric or paper? Did you buy the letters at Joanne's? I have seen them there. I have been wanting to buy some and try it and your RS blog gave me the push. Thank you..

Shelli said...

I remember being a hobo for Halloween! Things haven't changed too much -- Johnette had a fabulous do it yourself unicorn costume this year. Our school still does a festival with treats and booths, but the tickets are 50 cents a piece now. We had lots of trick or treaters in our neighborhood.

I appreciate the sense of tradition you've given me. My kids love the special things we do for all the holidays.

goingsome said...

AHH, Halloween takes me back to my childhood days. I too, rememeber the days when we could run the muck on the neighborhood and all was OK, oh, how thing have changed!!! Our oldest wasn't even allowed to dress up for Halloween at the elementary school. Is it not poltically correct any longer??? They had a "nursery rhymn parade" instead for dress-up. It was cute, but I sighed and thought of the days that we had as kids, just to dress up and be kids and not thinking about being PC. (()(Sigh)))!!!!
Oh well, we had a great time trick-or treating in the nieghborhood. We had fun!!!!!

Nutsonurse said...

I remember you and dad making dungeoness crab for when we got home...or chili. And I am not a bit embarrassed to admit that I trick or treated up until I got married. I had fun taking all the kids around...then taking their best candy as my payment for taking them.

DANI KYNASTON said...

I loved Halloween growing up. I too trick-or-treated well beyond the age I should have. It was so fun. Maybe that is why my feet give me problems now! It is great to have such fun traditions and be able to pass them along to our kids.