Ghosties and ghoulies and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night!
—adapted from a traditional Scottish prayer
When I was a child, I often created my own Halloween costumes. One of my favorites was to dress up as a hobo. I sewed scraps of fabric onto a pair of jeans with long, uneven running stitches. A flannel shirt with a few patches sewn onto it came next.
To complete my costume, I tied the four corners of one of Dad’s red bandanas together and stuffed it with newspaper. Then I inserted a long stick through it and pretended that it held all of my earthly possessions. Mom applied some of her makeup to my face to help make me look unwashed.
One year, I wore an old dress Mom had given me to play dress up with. On Mom, the dress came down to her knees. On me, the dress was full length. The skirt had a sheer overlay that I pulled up in back and pretended was a cape.
I suspect it looked ridiculous, but I was happy with it.
Unfortunately, Halloween in northwestern Illinois was often cold, which meant I had to wear a winter coat over my costume. That tended to ruin the effect.
I thought I’d left trick-or-treat behind when I was twelve. Then I had children.
Watching their excitement was as much fun as the anticipation I felt when I was their age.
One homeowner featured a spooky scene in her garage every year. She filled a cauldron with dry ice to simulate steam. Then she dressed in a black witch’s costume and sat stirring her pot of witch’s brew. An eerie light turned her skin to a sickly green.
It was very convincing, especially to our three-year-old son. He didn’t return to trick-or-treat at her house for three years.
Several years later, before Scott was born, I sewed matching clown costumes for Tammy, Chris, and Liz. I used the same sewing pattern for each but chose different fabrics and sizes. Then I made big fluffy pom-poms from white yarn. I attached one to the hat and three down the center of each costume.
They took their costumes to school for the festivities there, just as I did when I was their age.
I thought when I left my childhood behind that part of my life was over, but I was wrong.
Watching my children enjoy the things I did as a child made me see the holiday in a way I hadn’t before.
