Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Halloween Memories


Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. Perhaps, it’s because of the way it was celebrated when I was little or my mother’s enthusiasm for dressing up. I’m not sure, but every year I feel like a little kid again (perhaps it’s because I still dress up). It was double the fun this year, because my son was excited.

Most of my youth, I resided on a dead-end street that was capped by a wooded lot on one side and the elementary school on the other. It was a parade-of-homes street, so everyone had moved in around the same time and many of the houses had kids just my age.


On Halloween, we would meet after dinner. My father always dressed up in his big wool coat that looked like something Paul Revere would have worn and he often carried an old fashioned lantern to light our way. As an adult, I can appreciate the ambience. As a child, I just thought it was cool. Sometimes, one or more of the other parents would come too – but my father was a fixture. He was always there and willing to take on as many kids as needed.

We trooped all over the neighborhood begging candy from virtual strangers until we were too tired to go to any more houses. My father would lead us back to my house and we would head down into the basement (it was finished). As the night wore on and trick-or-treating came to an end, the parents would turn off their lights and join their children at my house. They brought cider, donuts and (probably) adult beverages. I remember the smell of coffee and the sound of many voices chattering about the night’s events.

We kids would spread our candy out on the floor and wait impatiently for an adult to check it over. There was always a small amount of disappointment when a popcorn ball or other homemade treat was thrown away, but there was always a lot of tightly wrapped candy left over. Once we were approved, we would trade with each other. I liked peppermint and J liked caramel – a perfect trade.

So, tonight when my son returned from a triumphant trick-or-treat, I diligently looked through his candy. I removed anything with nuts and gum, but he still had quite a haul. Oh, the memories. Halloween is still one of my favorite holidays.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the memories and the adorable photos. My son is almost two -- maybe next year he'll be into trick-or-treat.

I really enjoy your blog. I adopted my Korean-born son in May 2005.