Happy Halloween, if you need something to think about besides election angst.
Of course this Halloween the trick or treating and parties will be diminished because of Covid. So I am revisiting some memories of the past. It has always seemed like it has been a children's holiday, and the memories revolve around my childhood ones, or things we used to do with our kids.
When I was growing up, we lived in the country and didn't go trick or treating, except to relatives. My parents weren't comfortable taking us to town and having us go to houses of people they didn't know. So Mom's thing was Halloween parties that she would have for us, inviting the classmates of whichever kid was hosting this time. They were popular with our friends, though they were simpler than the parties kids have now with bounce houses, etc. We would have a bonfire and roast weiners and marshmallows, and play games like bobbing for apples and "pin the witch on the moon". One of my sister's classmates told her recently that he still remembered that it was deliciously spooky exploring in the woods in the twilight at her party, seeing an owl, and barn cats whose eyes glowed in the dark.
Our kids did like trick-or-treating, since we lived in town. One or both of us always walked with them, and had fun visiting with the neighbors, and seeing the other kids who were out. We also tended not to take them where we didn't know the people.
Do any of you have some favorite Halloween memories?
Another mom and I did the Halloween party at Catholic school, which focused on saints: St. Patrick Snake Toss, St. Joseph Build the Tallest Tower, St. Jerome Make a Book Mark, etc. We made saint stickers out of vintage holy card images that were a hit (and cost a fortune to print on sticky labels with color toner). Kids dressed as their name saint. It was a nice day, and the other mom was fun to work with.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed parties when The Boy got older, and we had a yard full of little boys blowing stuff up--Diet Coke and Mentos, vinegar and baking soda, etc. Once I got them semi-worn out, they'd come in to watch Harry Potter and get sick on homeade caramel corn. Five boys can plow through three turkey months roasters of that stuff (with help from Raber).
I still enjoy ending out treats and then watching "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" and "Night of he Hunter."
Alas, no Halloween this year. Hoping we will be able to scatter my uncle's ashes in his old two I stream on All Soul's Day. Long weird story there.
Sounds like a fun saint party!
DeleteYou'll have to tell us about the ash scattering if you get to do it.
Jean, looks like autocorrect got the better of you in the penultimate sentence. Should that read "trout stream"?
DeleteYou were a stellar Halloween mom! We never did fun things like that when I was a kid.
Ah,Night of the Hunter. Robert Mitchum. Leeeeeaning on those everlasting arms. But if he was really trying, he would have caught those kids when they ran up the stairs.
DeleteYes, auto-correct is the bane of my existence. Trout stream. It's snowing today, so unsure if we'll make it up north tomorrow. Plus, long drive, and pandemic means open bathrooms are hard to find for a couple of old people drinking 32 ounce travel cups of black coffee.
DeleteI enjoyed trick or treating as a young kid in LA. After moving to the mountains at 10 that was pretty much over as houses with full-time residents were few and far between (a resort community).
ReplyDeleteOur kids did trick or treating in the neighborhood. But we didn't have special traditions - not in my own family when I was growing up or with our sons. Simple costumes, trick or treating and that was it..
Anne, what you describe pretty much describes my experience as well. When I was in 3rd grade we moved to the country and there weren't many houses around for trick or treating. Nor do I remember there being pumpkin patches, haunted houses et al. If there were such things, my parents seemingly did their best to make sure we never heard of them.
DeleteWe watched Charlie Brown every year. That was kind of the high point. I guess it's not very high. We also were allowed to wear our Halloween costumes to school. But I never had much of a costume. What I've decided is that some people are much more into fantasy, dressing up and alternative identities than I am. More power to 'em.
Tonight, my wife and I watched MacBeth, so we had witches and a ghost. For us, that's pretty good. No trick or treaters today, although my wife went for a walk earlier today and reported seeing them thick on the ground a few blocks away.
Of course haunted houses and ghosts come up as a subject this time of year. The other night we were watching an episode of Kindred Spirits, in which the narrators attempt to help people de-haunt their houses. It seemed to me the subject was psyching herself out, rather than there was any convincing evidence that her house really was haunted. I say that I don't believe in ghosts. In the daylight.
ReplyDeleteThere is an entire industry of ghost-hunting shows. If there isn't a ghost hunter network yet, then someone in network-land isn't on the ball. My wife loves most of them. It's not my thing. I always tell her, "If they want to see the ghosts better, they should try turning on the lights."
DeleteI don't know if I believe any of it but I find the shows relaxing for the most part. I don't watch intently. The Travel Channel is essentially a ghost network.
DeleteStanley, I noticed that too. I was actually looking for shows on the Travel Channel, you know, about travel, since we can't actually take any trips right now. Not that we are globe trotters anyway. But instead all this paranormal stuff.
DeleteThere is some kind of subset of people who collect ghost tours the way some people build up collections of visited lighthouses. Of course, Florida is touristy and has things to amuse the easily amused everywhere, but we ran into the same phenomenon in Savannah. Once in St. Augustine (FL) we sat on a porch one evening and listened to three different docents tell decent-sized groups about the ghost who haunted the house across the street. Where do they get these audiences?
DeleteMy mom and brother used to be heavily into the Spirit World (they drank spirits and ghosts tended to show up ...). I have always thought of restless spirits as a very sad and upsetting idea, though I have never experienced anything to indicate they're around. And if they are, how does that matter? I have enough problems with the living without borrowing trouble from the dead. Leave them to God.
DeleteI have never experienced any paranormal manifestations either. It's easy to psych yourself out reading spooky novels late at night though. Which is why I don't.
DeleteA Facebook friend had a post, "What would you bring along when spending the night at a haunted house?" I replied, "a camper."
Like Jean, I am fine with leaving the dead to God. When we pray for the dead, that incudes any unquiet spirits, if there are any.