My own Halloween memories are sketchy, but good. I don’t remember my childhood costumes. I remember one of my brother’s. He was dressed as a newspaper – the New York Times. Strips of newspaper attached to his shirt and a sign that read, “All the News That’s Fit to Wear”. Clearly this was a budget costume and my Mom’s idea. He’s probably blocked that memory. We always envied those boxed Halloween costumes with the plastic masks, but all of our costumes were homemade. The only other costume I remember is the one that won at the American Legion Halloween party – the Old Woman in the Shoe. Seriously, somebody dressed up as huge shoe decorated as a house. I remember thinking it was the parents who won that contest, not the kids.
We trick or treated in the dark…a practice nearly gone today. When I lived in a community with trick-or-treating (my current property is too rural) I left work early because the kids and parents were out about 4pm and done by dark and I really enjoy seeing the kids. After that, there was only the occasional teen. I trick or treated into my teens; without parents and with stronger legs, we were all over town collecting goodies. The best houses back then where the ones with full size candy-bars. At our house, you got the paper Halloween bag of mixed treats. I loved putting these together a day or two before Halloween. Of course today, nobody would ever let their kid eat unwrapped candy corn.
Fifteen years ago I would buy bags of candy that I semi-liked, not loved. If you buy candy you love, you’ll eat it. Those fun-size bars are so small they’re hardly like eating candy at all and pretty irresistible if you love what you bought. Buying semi-liked candy makes it far easier to show some moderation. I don’t even buy Halloween candy now, but a day or two after Halloween all the parents in the office bring in their leftovers or half of what their kids collected. I am un-costumed today; my workplace is a little formal. You can get away with a Santa hat at Christmas, but people in Halloween costumes are rare. Then again, isn’t it true that everyone is a little masked at work anyway?