Halloween

 

This evening I put two paper mache pumpkins on the window sill, though within minutes the rain had reduced them into an orange puddle. I turned on the outside light in hope that some brave Trick or Treaters might come to my door. Halloween is on the rise in France, each year it becomes more animated.

This year there was a display of candy at the entrance of the grocery store. 

When my children were young I would put on a Halloween party, but as the years went by I stopped as it just didn't feel like Halloween as it was hard to grow excitement when the others looked at me oddly about bobbing for apples and eating pumpkin pie, or saying: Trick or Treat.

Or I could blame it on my Mother. My mom decorates every inch of her house in an Autumn decor plus she makes a buffet dinner in which everyone is welcome to come and grab some real food after trick or treating. I wonder how many people she will have this year, 20? 50? 85? 

Beans, Pizza bread, salads, and cream puffs are usually on the menu, plus whatever other tricks she has up her sleeve, and she has plenty. I love going home for Halloween.

In the pouring rain, six children came to my door and for the first time ever they said, "Trick or Treat!" I was so thrilled I filled their little plastic sacks with candy (plastic pumpkins or Halloween containers have yet to be seen.) Also this year everyone was in costume, scary costumes.

How many Trick or Treaters do you usually have?

The above photo was taken when I was four years old, in a ghost costume that my Mother made. I wish I had a photo to share of when I was dressed as a bumble bee at twenty-six,  or a photo of myself dressed as a mermaid and out of gas on the freeway at midnight, or the time my Mother dressed me up as Marilyn Monroe when I was around five years old.

My Mother made matching Mr. and Mrs. Ghost costumes for me and my brother Marty. My brother is younger than me, my Mother wanted me to dress as Mr. Ghost since I was taller. I threw a fit and refused to be the Mr. at Halloween. My Mother was disappointed but agreed.

What is one of your favorite Halloween costumes?

 

 



Comments

6 responses to “”

  1. Halloween growing in Australia,too. We had 23 trick or treaters.They didn’t all say “Trick or Treat”, but they ALL said, “Thank you.” Costumes were mostly dreamed up by the children. Good effort.
    I MISS CANDY CORN!

  2. Just a handful of trick-or-treaters in our little neighborhood…and no costumes in this house. But oh the memories of the wonderful ones my mom designed for me – with a maiden name of McCloud, the Scottish lassie with a plaid skirt, cross-body sash and tam-o-shanter was a favorite. Then there was the long black braids for my Pocahontas costume…
    As for our kids, the Annie year stands out – with our daughter in a red curly wig and an Annie-red dress.
    What fun it was!

  3. Halloween is a big deal in New England. In Boston’s Beacon hill neighborhood thousands turn out! Last night the weather was lovely and it was
    Absolute mayhem. The houses are decorated and parents and kids dress up. It is always so fun to see the kids in costume. My niece just got
    married on Saturday and the reception was Halloween themed,250 guests in costume! Fun. We lived in Germany when my kids were small. Halloween wasn’t a thing then
    either.

  4. When I was 7, I told my mom I wanted to wear a sari for Halloween, like the ladies at the hospital wore when I would visit my sick sister there. Mom sewed a couple of gold and green pieces of fabric together and wound it around me. 50 yrs. later, my many Indian girlfriends are convinced I was Indian in a previous life in that I asked for a sari when I was so young and a little American white girl living in the midwest. Being the textile fiend I am, I still have that sari….and many more REAL ones!Corey, your mother is an inspiration to me.

  5. Love the facial expression your mom made on the ghost costume. That is so fun that you got trick or treaters in your town, even in the rain!

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