October is coming to a close and that means Halloween will soon see us out and into November. I know some people do not like Halloween but I love it. It just seems like a time when people are happy. Maybe it’s the candy, maybe it's the creative carving of pumpkins, maybe it’s the array of costumes—but to me, Halloween is just plain fun.
I have never been great, or even good, at creating a costume. When I was a child we just went to one of dime stores (as they were called in those days) and bought a costume. My very favorite costume that I remember was a Woody Woodpecker costume.
I loved Woody Woodpecker and I loved that costume. I loved it so much that I wanted to wear it a second year. The costume still fitted, but unfortunately, somehow over the course of a year, the mask disappeared. I had the outfit but no mask. I needed the mask. My mother said she would go and find a Woody Woodpecker mask to replace the lost one. Mothers are miracle workers like that.
Unfortunately she could not find a replacement mask. I guess Woody had waned in popularity and there was not a Woody mask to be found. So instead, she bought me a Donald Duck mask. I guess her thinking was that one bird could substitute for another bird.
But I hated Donald Duck.
My mother insisted that no one would notice because the rest of my costume was Woody Woodpecker so they would just assume the mask was Woody Woodpecker. I wanted to believe her (even though I was highly skeptical even at a young age), so off I went with my brother to trick or treat on our street.
Every single person that opened the door to give us candy for our bags would say, “Oh, look! It’s Donald Duck!” and I would retort (not very politely if I remember correctly) “ I am NOT Donald Duck. I am Woody Woodpecker.” They would look puzzled but they did not withhold the treat.
I remember a rather miserable evening attempting to convince the neighborhood that I was Woody Woodpecker. I think the Donald mask and the Woody outfit went right into the garbage when I returned home.
I have never been great at coming up with costumes. My children quickly learned that they were going to have to be their own costume designers if they were to ever escape my annually suggested costumes of hobo or gypsy. Even their Dad was far more creative than I ever was when it came to costumes for Halloween
Can I just blame my costume failure on the Woody Woodpecker/Donald Duck trauma?
Fortunately our children learned to creatively costume themselves and have passed on their skills to their own children. They still sport pretty awesome adult costumes as well.
But even with costume failure I still love Halloween. Okay, I admit it. I love those little tiny candy bars. Here at the retirement community where we live, several residents go all out for the Halloween season. My favorite one is the one I call Frank.
It is always a joyful day when Frank appears outside our downstairs neighbors’ door. Why, thank you, Frank, don’t mind if I do!
I am not as wild about this fellow. I usually jump every time I see him waiting at the end of the upstairs hall.
Initially Halloween was not about candy. People gave out fruit. Yes, oranges, apples, even a nice bunch of grapes. But candy soon replaced fruit. Sugar was not readily available during the depression so the candy makers reduced the size of their candy bars to a smaller size (less sugar and less costly). They called this smaller size “Juniors.” The Mars Candy Company then came up with the idea of making an even smaller candy and call it “fun size.” They even tried to trademark that name.
I do remember a neighbor when we lived in Charlottesville that gave out full size candy bars. He always gave the trick or treaters a choice: full size Snickers or full size Baby Ruth? Those must have been his favorites (just in case he had some left over).
I hope you have fun on Halloween. If you don’t go trick or treating or to a costume party or have a friend like Frank, it is totally permissible to buy your own bag of fun-size candy. You never know who might show up at your door.
One more thing: here is the first costume I ever created. I think I was not quite four years old. I think it should have been obvious from the start that I was not going to excel at costume design!
Great story Jeanne. I feel the same way. I was always a hobo or in later years a hippie. Love whoever did the Yayoi Kusama.
That last photo is hilarious! Our mom was a pretty good seamstress and would get a pattern from the fabric store. I remember a pumpkin jack-o’lantern lots of chicken wire and newspaper, Gay Nineties bathing beauty complete with inner tune float, clown, and the inevitable witch. Fun times.