Thursday, October 30, 2014

Throwback Thursday - Halloween


Since today is Throwback Thursday and tomorrow is Halloween I thought it would be fun to throw open the Dish archives and journey back to 2010 and my Halloween post...with a few revisions and additions.  

No tricks - just treats!

~PJ


Ghosties, Goblins & Dinner? Oh, my!

(originally posted 29 October 2010)




I love Halloween!

It's my second favorite holiday and a big deal at my house.  It has been for years.  I grew up in a small town where we knew everybody and kids could safely go door-to-door on Halloween night.  My mom made our costumes each year and neighbors went all out making homemade treats such as caramel apples and popcorn balls.  My late husband's childhood experiences were the opposite.  Growing up in a big city with a single mom who worked long hours and not having much money, he had never known the fun that could be had on Halloween. Imagine his shock when I charged into his life with the Halloween enthusiasm of your average 10 year old (though I was 24 at the time) and the complete confidence that he would be thrilled to dress up with me.  Poor guy didn't know what hit him!  lol!

To his credit, he indulged me that first year and had such a good time that from then on, he took over the planning of the Halloween "event" and had more fun than a litter of puppies! He'd plan our costumes, help me decorate the house and be dressed and eagerly awaiting the first ring of the doorbell about the same time the kids were getting out of school.  To say he got excited would be an understatement of mammoth proportions!


Whenever I said anything about how much he enjoyed Halloween, he'd say to me, "I may grow old but I'll never grow up."  My memories of our years together are a vivid testament to that!  It's been almost ten years since he died but every year his playful, enthusiastic spirit is with me as I dress in costume, apply my make-up and prepare to greet bright-eyed, laughing little goblins at my front door.  As you learned on my birthday, I have no problem sharing photographic evidence of silly life moments with the world so, with that in mind, here's a little stroll down our Halloween memory lane.




As you can see, the dh was a man secure in his masculinity.  Either that, or he had a hidden fondness for short skirts and curly blonde hair!  The kids who came to our door loved the costume, especially when he did a cheer for them.  For months afterward, kids would ride by on their bikes while he was mowing or working in the yard and chant, "Rah! Rah! Rah! Sis! Boom! Bah!" 












This was the year he was the Hunchback of Notre Dame and discovered that oatmeal tinted with green food coloring doesn't come off as easily as one might think.  He sported traces of the "look" until close to Thanksgiving! 














Frankenstein sure looked menacing...until he tried to walk through the front door. Good ole Frankie forgot about the extra height his Halloween head and platform shoes added to his normal 6'2". ::snicker::

















One of my favorite Halloweens was the year the spiders invaded. It was a hit with the kids too. A few years later, a family came to our house to trick-or-treat. The daughter - about 6 years old - kept asking where the spiders were. Turns out they had come to our house the year we were spiders (when she was just a wee little thing) but had then moved away. They had just moved back to town and that little girl came to our door fully expecting to see the spider family. We finally had to tell her that the spiders had moved. She never did make the connection between "them" and us! LOL!









This year's costume was inspired by the late Dik Browne, who wrote the Hagar the Horrible comic strip, one of the dh's favorites. 












My brother designed our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes and my husband made them.  I nicely thanked them both and took pictures.  I know my limits. *g*






The last year that he was well enough to dress up with me was widely recognized by the 100+ people who visited our house as our best Halloween costume ever.  As you can see from the photo, I was a chef and the dh was "dinner."  I kept the lid over his head until the trick-or-treaters walked up to the table to take their candy from the tray.  Then I'd offer them a taste of the "specialty of the house" and lift the cover.  Reactions were priceless!  Only one person was scared.  Mostly, the kids were amused, curious or downright fascinated.

A neighbor girl refused to leave until I lifted the tablecloth to prove to her that yes, the rest of his body was still attached.

Another little girl wanted to know how long it took me to bake him.

But the cutest reaction was from one little boy who stood there staring at him for close to five minutes while his parents tried to entice him back to the street.  Finally, he turned to me and in a quiet, awestruck voice asked "Does he take batteries?"   I've always wondered how many Christmas lists the "dinner head" ended up on that year! lol!







I've continued the tradition of dressing up to greet the goblins who ring my doorbell on Halloween night. This was the year I dressed as a puppy dog. Got a lot of "woofs" that year!

















And here I am as a gypsy fortune teller.  I wish I'd thought to put out a recorder to capture some of the questions I was asked.  Had me laughing for weeks!










Do you celebrate Halloween?

Do you dress up?  If you do, what costume are you wearing this year?  If you're not dressing up this year, tell me about your favorite Halloween costume or favorite Halloween memory. 

What's your "must have" Halloween candy?

Since I'm all about having fun and giving out treats on Halloween, I'm going to randomly select one person who comments today to receive a treat from my book stash.  Happy Halloween!

~PJ

27 comments:

  1. Snickers, so yum
    Kimh

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    1. My weakness! I buy the mini Snickers and, yes, I admit it, I put them at the bottom of the trick-or-treat bowl. ;-)

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  2. We don't celebrate Halloween here in Australia, but the shops are PUSHING it for all it's worth.

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    1. Sounds like the shops are hoping the holiday will catch on down under.

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  3. Not big on Halloween. Fav candy - Plain Hershey's bars.

    Memory that sticks out - I was washing the dishes, and there is a tap on my shoulder and it was my daughter in a scary costume and it scared the bejesus out of me - she was in college at the time. LOL.

    patoct

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    1. Sounds like something a college student would do. lol

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  4. When my children were in grade school I would dress up as a witch (my hair was perfect because I had a natural white streak with long dark hair lol) and I did full makeup to help out with their Halloween parties. And for many years I dressed up to answer the door. Now I usually just wear the hat lol. I am lamenting my pumpkin this year because we had our carving party too soon and we had some warm weather so it didn't make it :( I love most of the candy lol.

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    1. I bet you were an awesome Halloween witch! I loved dressing up to answer the door. That's one thing I really miss now that I'm in a condo.

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  5. We always dressed for Hallowe'en when I was young. I dressed up my children who loved the fun. My best costume was Anne of Green Gables. My favorite candy is Kit Kat.

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    1. Kit Kat! One of my favorites too, petite. I only buy it at Halloween. If it's in my house, I'm going to eat it.

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  6. I love this trip down memory lane with you, PJ...and I love these pictures! What a guy! <3

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  7. Hallowe'en was something which we kids loved and enjoyed. Dressing up in costumes created by my mother was special. The candy was smarties. still is.

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    1. I'm not a Smarties kind of girl. My mom made our costumes when we were kids too. My favorites were a gypsy and an Indian princess.

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  8. Replies
    1. Back in the pre-menopause days, Hershey w/ almonds bars were my go-to monthly sanity savers. ;-)

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  9. I don't dress up for Halloween but do set out on my porch and give out treats. I will start this in about an hour because they are having our treating night tonight. I do put out a few decorations though. Trick or Treating is from 5 to 8 tonight. Love about all candy!

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    1. Have fun tonight! Hope you see cute costumes worn by polite children...and have some of your favorite candy left over! :)

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  10. Thanks for sharing this memory again, PJ. I enjoyed it.

    My favorite Halloween candy....peanut butter cups, tootsie rolls, snickers....

    I had two favorite costumes when growing up, both made by my mother. One was a sheet she dyed a golden tan, fringed the bottom, she braided my hair, wrapped a band around my head with a feather, and I was an Indian girl. The other was a long dress with a sunbonnet; a pioneer girl. Probably Laura Ingalls Wilder since I liked the Little House books.
    My sister and I did dress up as Raggedy Ann and Andy one year with homemade red yarn wigs and I borrowed a plaid shirt from my uncle and used suspenders since I was Andy.

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  11. trick or treating with friends
    Hershey bars

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  12. I love going trick-or-treating with the nephews. We go out every year and I always buy them candy because I know either way I'm going to each half their stash LOL And my favorite candy is all kind of chocolate ;)

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  13. I love Twix bars. We had our trunk n treat yesterday. We live way out in the boondocks, so I will spend tomorrow night curled up with a good book, and a few Twix bars.

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  14. I went to a Halloween party last week as a witch. I know - boring! I love candy corn, but you need to eat it in moderation! Happy Halloween, PJ!

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  15. Awww. Thanks for sharing this wonderful Halloween memory blog with us. I love getting to see this part of your life. Happy Halloween!

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  16. I really enjoyed decorating for Halloween and getting costumes ready for everyone. We were a military family and lived on base or city neighborhoods most of the time. We knew most of the kinds coming around. It was a time for parents to visit as we walked with our children door to door and with those at the houses we visited. One year I made a clown costume for our preschool daughter and one adult sized one. My husband did the walking tour with the girls and I stayed home to give out treats. I filled a tankard with hot coffee for him to drink on his rounds. The kids would Trick or Treat and he would Trick or Drink. His cup wasn't empty when he got home and I am pretty sure it wasn't with the coffee I sent him out with.
    We live out in the country now and in 22 years, we have had 1 trick or treater - our grandson. Everyone drives into our small town for a town wide event. I don't even decorate much anymore. Luckily I worked as a children's librarian until a few years ago. I could unleash my decorating urge on the library. We were a fun group and everyone dressed up for the day (and for other events, too). I have a long, black sheath dress and made a caftan of sheer black fabric with flocked spider webs on it. I have a wonderful black spider broach and spider earrings. One of these days I will find a ring. I like the outfit, but don't get to wear it much.
    I try to resist buying candy, but feel I must have some on hand just in case someone does come. Almond Joys, Mounds, Twix, Kit-Kat, Milky Way, or Tootsie Rolls are what I usually get. It should be something I like since I will end up eating it. I think the Almond Joy and Mounds are tied for my must haves.
    I hope you have fun this Halloween.

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  17. I do not celebrate Halloween but live vicariously through my daughter and her family who loves it!

    My favorite memory is living in the UW-Madison dorms and attending a Halloween party. We were placed on random co-ed teams of 6 for a Halloween scavenger hunt. I dressed up as a Native American squaw. My teammates were a clown, a cowboy, a baby, a cheerleader and a vampire. We had a fantastic time. I remember having a meal ticket with $.01 left on it which helped us win.

    My must have candy Milky Ways closely followed by Hershey Bars.

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  18. What wonderful pictures and memories PJ! One of my fav candies? The molasses halloween kisses! Not sure if that is only a Canadian thing or not, but I love them! I haven't dressed up since 13, but one of my fav costumes was as a movie star with the white gloves and glasses and gold dress! As close as I'll ever come! :) Happy Halloween!

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