Halloween Memories

Halloween Memories

As I took Sevrine to preschool this morning and saw all the kids in their costumes I reminded me of Halloweens past and the things I remember most. I remember when my brother Paul and I were in the Kimberly Halloween parade and won $5 for our rendition of the school mascot. Thanks to Sharon, we used the Bulldog suit (Paul) and I as the clown leading him along.
On a less funnier note I remember when we sponsored the family from Vietnam. Pae Ling came home from school to see the paper plate skeleton that I had made on the front door. Not accustomed to our holidays, she freaked out. Later we learned that coming from this war torn country, skeletons were everywhere and it wasn’t a pleasant site. After that I have not liked this aspect of Halloween decorations.
The trick-or-treating reminds me of when we could see if we could hit the whole town of Kimberly before our curfew. Remembering which houses gave the best stuff. In Somerset the kids made a beeline to the “Oberto” house to get the beef jerky, or the house where our neighbors in the Crest gave out samples from “Johnson and Johnson”.
Now living in Arizona, Halloween brings new traditions of sitting out on the driveway handing out candy. Not letting our pumpkins rot in the heat and resorting to painting them instead of carving. Getting full size candy bars is still a treat to be envied. At temps in the 80’s this makes for a pleasant evening. Families have turned to “Trunk r Treats” to get away from on the crazies and the treats that aren’t as appetizing. The Smurfs costumes I made have yet to be recycled. One of these years they might just make a comeback.