Halloween - Is it Over?

Halloween is never one of my favorite holidays, but this year was a little different.  We live next door to a wonderful family, mom, dad, two boys, and a little girl.  The boys come to visit on occasion, carrying on almost adult conversations.  This year, their garden yielded some large pumpkins - the largest being the oldest boy's Jack-o-lantern, the next in size going to the next son, and then came our surprise - they came to our house, excitedly bearing this Jack-o-lantern, complete with flickering light inside that could be turned off and on.  We felt honored, and after the traditional Trunk or Treat in our neighborhood, they came to see us to show off the costumes.  Halloween can be fun.
I do need to explain my own frustrations with Halloween.  My children always wanted costumes, and, since extra money was nonexistant,  weren't very amenable to my suggestions of either going as a ghost (old sheets with holes cut in appropriate places), or a hobo, which definitely hit a brick wall as a suggestion.  Candy was expensive, and not as conveniently packaged as our choices today.  One Halloween that we did enjoy was one when we lived in the old family home in the early 70's.  Our neighbors invited the children over for doughnuts and cider - that was much easier and healthier than the town trick or treating that they did later.  Besides my own children eating too much candy, I also remember when I was teaching in the primary grades (1, 2), when we literally had to scrape children off of the ceiling because of the candy high.  I never planned on doing too much at school if the day after Halloween came on a school day.
     Halloween never got much attention when we were children.  Some boys would go around trying to tip over outhouses, but since our FHA special had a concrete base, it was too daunting.  My first year of teaching school in Riverton gave me the experience of having to organize a Halloween party at school (yes, we did lots of school parties in those days), and then having the second graders join in the school's parade in full costume downtown on a sunny, golden afternoon.  There are advantages to being in a retirement mode!  Our only role now is answering the doorbell with a bowl full of Snickers.  Little kids early, older kids later, and we're done!  The Jack o-lantern is preserved in my picture files, and life goes on.

Hilda, the Dreadful Witch

For twenty years, Hilda has come out of her box and into the world to grace us with her presence. Her biggest claim to fame is her knobby knees, which are discreetly hiding in this photo. I made Hilda for our home, but she soon went to the dental office during the Halloween season. I have wonderful pictures of Suzanne holding her, but the album with all of those pictures seems to have disappeared, no doubt being used by The Borrowers (as in Mary Norton's books), but it should come to light sooner or later. Anyway, for someone who dislikes Halloween, (think costumes and too much candy), I really think some of the decorations are fun. We did not observe Halloween when I was a young 'un (think "the olden days"). Living in the country, as we did, where most farmers families had outdoor plumbing, Halloween could be a time of "tipping over the outdoor facilities" by mischievous older boys. Fortunately, our FHA-sponsored, concrete-based outhouse was safe from the vandals - too heavy, by far. The year I was in 8th grade, I got to stay in town with a friend and go trick-or-treating. She had a party, with stuff that was supposed to be scary, and then out into the dark night we went. I was not impressed - it all seemed spooky and stupid. However, my kids all wanted the experience, so during the years we lived in town, trick-or-treating, with the ensuing stomach aches from over-indigence was the order of the day. I was not good at helping with costumes. Some years, they were the cheapies from the dime store, and sometimes they were just old bed sheets with holes cut in them. Not wonderful at all! Now, we're glad to just stay home, and answer the occasional doorbell. It's always fun to see the cute little neighbor kids, who have already done their thing at the trunk or treat being held in the next cul-de-sac, but we don't appreciate older boys who come with their big bags, ready for loot, quite as much. And, I quit growing pumpkins in the garden to put on the front porch, because they inevitably got trashed or taken. Not worth the trouble. We can all breathe a sigh of relief when the 31st of October is all over, and we work into the most peaceful holiday of the winter - Thanksgiving!