Halloween Costumes
When I was little, my mom made my (and my sisters’) Halloween costumes. One year I was a clown with an over-sized white cotton jumpsuit that had a red polka-dot pattern. There was the year when I was Little Bo Peep—complete with bonnet, pantaloons, and cloth-covered panniers stuffed with crumpled newspaper. When I took dance lessons, my recital costumes doubled for Halloween. As my sisters and I grew older (almost too old to go trick-or-treating), we dressed like hobos: old jeans, flannel shirts, tangled hair, charcoal marks on our faces, and pillow-cases to hold candy.
By the time my daughter was small, I had lost interest in Halloween—until the year when she (about 3 years old) asked me: “Where are our Halloween decorations?” (We had no decorations at our house because I’m not big on decorating.) “Do we need them?” I asked. “Yes!” (She was very emphatic on that point.) We hopped into the car, drove to the nearest Target, and picked out many junkie decorations.
Correction: she picked them out!
The items I remember best are a large velvet black widow spider. Pumpkins with lights inside. A pumpkin-themed tablecloth. A purple-faced witch that was a candle holder.
When it came to my daughter’s costumes, she always knew exactly what she wanted to be. Unlike my mother, I am not a seamstress—BUT a work colleague (Ann) had been a costume designer and seamstress for a theater, and she loved my daughter and offered to make her costumes. One year she was a “Fall Fairy”...another year she was a piece of candy corn...the best year was the year when she was Harry Potter (lightning scar, cape, wand, wizard’s hat). This was in the early days of Harry Potter, and it was not until the very last house we visited (Trick or Treat!) when the person recognized who she was supposed to be.
“Finally,” scoffed my daughter.
I live near Kent State University, where Halloween is a big deal for the students. No matter the weather— beautiful and balmy...torrential rain...bitter cold—students dress up and come into the town in their costumes. There are no limits to what is worn, including (in the past) Little Bo Peep (a far cry from the adorable costume my mother made for me). One year when I was advisor for a fraternity on campus, the Brothers dressed up as the Seven Slutty Dwarves (Sleazy, Creepy...you get the drift). There always are many Grim Reapers (often on stilts). Hundreds of students dressed up and strutting through the town.
Although I love going downtown to watch the students, I also find myself thinking that the time and effort spent creating these masterpieces could be better spent on coursework (hmmmmm....am I losing my sense of humor or just getting old?...LOL).
Happy Halloween!
