Any
holiday that involves large quantities of candy, especially
chocolate, ranks high on my favorites list. Dressing up in silly or
scary costumes only adds to the excitement. Whether you're a child
or an adult, this is one fun time of year. When I see the
expressions on the faces of little goblins, memories of Halloweens
past are vivid in my mind.
Years
ago, my best friend Pam and I got out early and covered nearly every
house in our neighborhood, an area 5 blocks square. I remember the crunch of leaves as we dashed from house to house. We
knew which people gave out the best goodies, so we tried to hit them
early. We decorated paper grocery sacks to carry our loot at first,
but changed to pillowcases that held more and avoided the loss
of precious candy when the bag ripped.
Choosing
a costume was so much fun. I remember being a pirate, ballerina,
hobo, princess, cowgirl, bunny, 20's flapper, witch, and
cheerleader. Sometimes I had a store-bought costume with those awful
plastic masks...I wore glasses so the masks never fit right and made
my glasses fog up. Other times I helped my mama sew one or we'd
piece together something out of her closet. Some years we had to wear
coats or rain gear over our costumes, which absolutely ruined the
effect.
We'd
drive out to my grandparent's after trick or treat so they could see
us. She made the most delectable popcorn balls and chocolate fudge
candy. Even if we didn't go on Halloween, she made sure we got those
yummy, sticky snacks sometime that week. We got huge hauls of candy,
and got to eat what we wanted. My mama always filled the candy dish
in the living room so not much was left over at our house. My
favorite candy? Nearly all of them, but creamy delicious chocolate
is the best, hands down.
When
I had my own business, we chose a theme and went all out decorating
the office. We served treats and our customers stopped by to see our
secret costumes. Memorable themes were: western, gypsy, 50's,
favorite animal, Gone with the Wind era (Miss Scarlett here),
pirates, coven of witches, and pajama party. Favorite candy was fun:
our pregnant receptionist was a peanut M&M, I was a Hershey's
kiss, the two others were Baby Ruth and licorice.
The
best year was Addam's Family—we won the Hendersonville Chamber of
Commerce prize for best costumes. I was Morticia, the other three
were Uncle Fester, Pugsley, and Wednesday. No one was tall enough to
be Lurch and we decided that Gomez was out of town. Thing sat on the
front desk, and our office was transformed into the creepy Addams
Family mansion. We laughed all week and got very little work done
that day, but it was great fun!
As
you prepare to dole out treats this year, remember your favorite
Halloween with a smile, and save a few dozen extra pieces of
candy for yourself.
Trick or treat!
