I'm trying to remember what Halloween seemed like as a child. I am having trouble rousing any vivid memories. I do know that in the mid to late 1950s, I was usually a gypsy, a pirate, or a tramp. I have a vague memory of people in the neighborhood opening their doors to me, and I know I said "Trick or Treat!" as loudly as I could. I also know I'd empty my bag on the floor and organize my candy by type when I came home. My grandkids still do the same.
Are there any memories or favorite costumes you want to share?
Here are some random photos from Halloweens gone by:
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| Meatloaf feet made by Sharon M |
That first pumpkin makes me feel like I'm seeing double! You know, I remember trick-or-treating, but I don't think I have a single picture of any of my costumes. (Not that any of them were that great.)
ReplyDeleteI can't find any of me and my similar-aged siblings from when we were kids, either. I wish I could.
DeleteLove your Halloween photos! Especially the one of your and your husband!
ReplyDeleteMy memories are focused on all the pillow case with never "enough" or the "right kind of" candy and how quickly I ate all of it within 24 hours, except any black licorice! Next come memories of houses in our neighborhood that were decorated in a "scary" way for Halloween, parents who dressed up in costumes to hand out the candy, parents in everyday clothes hovering in the background to make sure that we were safe, and having our parents check the candy when we got home to make sure there was nothing dangerous (there were rumors of razor blades in candy or Ex-Lax being given out as chocolate). My last trick or treating was probably in 1961 when I was 12 years old. I do remember that one year (maybe age 12?) my mother insisted that I put on one of her dresses and one of her hats and be a "lady." I remember a boy looking at me and saying sarcastically, "What are you dressed up as?" I felt shamed and quietly said "a lady." I would not have chosen that "costume" but felt pressured by my mother. An oddly unsettling memory. On the brighter side, I loved Reese's peanut butter cups and Snicker's bars!!!!
I have Reeses AND Snicker's bars to hand out this evening.
DeleteOh wow, I remember going out as a witch, a clown, and a beatnik. I can't imagine what I did for my beatnik costume. When I was a teenager, I used to take the little kids in the neighborhood out trick or treating. That's mostly when I dressed as a beatnik.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could see a picture of you dressed as a beatnick. No doubt all dressed in black, with a turtleneck and your hair long and straight?
DeleteWhen I was pregnant with my first, I went as a pregnant nun. I was 21.
ReplyDeleteAs a child I often went as a tramp and my mother was always in a panic to get the costume done because apparently it was a surprise every year:)
Ha! A pregnant nun. Love it.
DeleteI have been all three of those things for Halloween. Gypsy was a recurrent one. I used to love making Halloween costumes for my sons when they were young.
ReplyDeleteI made costumes for my daughter, too. So much fun. Yesterday morning she ran over to use my sewing machine because hers died. She need to finish HER daughter's costume. And so it goes.
DeleteI grew up in the 1950s also and was either a gypsy or a hobo. We have family movies of us in costumes heading out the door. It was great fun and we got lots of candy and we would sort it and trade with my brothers and sister for what we liked best! I have lots of photos of my kids dressed for Halloween and my daughter texted one of the photos yesterday to all her siblings and me. Great memories!
ReplyDeleteHobo! That's the word I was looking for.
DeleteMy extremely artistic mother made most of our costumes. The year I was in kindergarten I was a pumpkin. A very robustly round pumpkin. So round I had to have help from the teacher to enter the classroom. It was a great costume. I love Halloween.
ReplyDeleteGreat memories!
DeleteWhen I was young one parent always threw a party for the neighborhood kids so the adults could go out trick or treating. It was something I hoped to replicate when I was a parent but I couldn't generate any enthusiasm.
ReplyDeleteBut as a parent I revels in the fact that neither of my daughters liked chocolate so whatever they collected was mine. All mine.
Ha!
DeleteWith 5 siblings I remember a lot of hullaballoooo. Being on the young side, I was more of an observer than a partaker back then.
ReplyDeleteLove the nun and........grim reaper clown?????
Yes, a very cute grim reaper clown.
DeleteSome great pics. The big thing this year was hedges with giant spider webs, complete with giant spiders. We had a few trick or treaters defying covid to cadge a handful of chocolate bars. Halloween is big in Northern Ireland but England still prefers Guy Fawkes Night on November 5.
ReplyDeleteYes, we saw a lot of giant spider webs this year, too.
DeleteAfter my parents split, Halloween like most holidays became...secondary to survival. I recall Halloweens as a parent much more vividly. My son was almost always a super hero of some sort and my daughter, zombie or anything that required gunk on the face. At least once she was cat woman.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I kiss those days.
Good memories always kiss back.
DeleteLove the pics
ReplyDelete