I recently saw a news story saying that Halloween is the second largest holiday in terms of money spent, about six billion dollars annually. It is right after Christmas in terms of dollar volumes. Now I find that to be quite interesting! October 31 has certainly morphed from just a little kid’s holiday into an adult holiday. It does make you wonder why so many adults go all out for Halloween with decorations, elaborate costumes, parties, and bar crawls. Of course, there is the old idea of any excuse for a party! I suspect that much of the attraction of putting on a costume for Halloween may be due to the desire to slip into some sort of alter ego, at least for a period of time. Why else would seemingly sane adults suddenly become the naughty upstairs maid, Darth Vader, a super hero, or even a presidential candidate for an evening? It is reminiscent of the masked balls of past centuries at the English and French courts. If no one knows who you are, perhaps you can get by with acting in ways you normally would not do.
Historically, Halloween was the night before All Saints Day, the night when ghouls, goblins, and the spirits of the dead were thought to roam the earth. Over time All Hallows Eve evolved into the holiday we know today replete with lots of tricks or treats. I think I was fortunate to have experienced Halloween as a little kid before the evening got hijacked by the adults.
In my childhood we didn’t have the plethora of ready-made costumes to choose from like you see today. We actually had to make our own. These could be fairly simple or elaborate, depending upon your creativity and your Mom’s sewing skills. An old sheet could quickly become a ghost. Highly popular among the little boys were hobos and scarecrows. An old worn out jacket of your Dad’s and some black smudges on your face, and you were all set. For girls it was usually the princess or the gypsy queen. As for me, I was always the gypsy. A long flowing skirt and a white ruffled blouse with elastic sleeves that you could pull down off your shoulders constituted the basic costume. Add some of your Mom’s make-up and lots of dangly jewelry, and you were all set. Oh, I was so glamorous and sexy!
When my boys were little, I tried a couple of times to make their costumes. One year they went as ghosts with giant jack o’ lantern heads out of felt. I thought they were quite adorable. Unfortunately a few of my neighbors wanted to know why my kids were dressed as tomatoes! I guess my felt wasn’t quite orange enough. Another year we had great success with the head on the plate. We covered a large box with a small tablecloth and cut a hole for the kid’s head to stick out. Then we cut a large paper plate to go around the his neck. Next we glued on some silverware, salt and pepper shakers, and a nice parsley garnish. Finish with some ghastly facial make up complete with blood trickling out of the corners of the mouth, and you’ve got it!
In the days when I was a child, people actually felt free to hand out homemade goodies—popcorn balls, cookies, or caramel apples. Today, any cautious parent quickly disposes of any treat not commercially packaged and intact, and many hospitals offer free x-rays of the little ones’ candy to ensure that it is free of needles or razor blades. What a sad commentary on today’s society. I don’t recall any sort of serious vandalism when I was little. A trick might be turning over a garbage can or leaving a burning paper bag full of dog poop on someone’s porch, not wreaking havoc in the computer lab in the local elementary school.
So whatever your plans for Halloween, enjoy the evening and watch out for those evil spirits. I have to run now and go plan my gypsy costume!
©The Eclectic Grandma, 2016
