When I was little, we had a lot of Halloween traditions.
So, what does that mean for a late 20-something with no kids and a strong fondness for the memories wrapped up in this holiday but no desire to wear a gory-gross costume to an intimate gathering or get sexed up for a street party or even figure out some witty play on words, pop culture reference or news headline to costume myself for an evening of laughing at drunkards and turning in early.
I love Halloween.
I always have.
I don’t love the spiders or witch cauldron, bloody severed body parts or the living dead. I actually really don’t like makeup on my face and I think fake blood is lame. I really don’t like scary movies or haunted houses, but there is something about this time of the year that makes me smile, that makes me happy, that makes me think about how I have become the person I am today and how much those moments still impact me today.
I think the reality is I think 90% of my affinity for the holiday stems from quality time with my dad. I don’t ever remember the question of “what do you want to be for Halloween” coming up in our house. It was more like a constant nagging brainstorm on every Sunday afternoon in September...(after the Star Ledger and New York Times had been read and coffee consumed nagging Dad on a Sunday afternoon was fair game)...because as soon as the calendar flipped from September to October that meant Halloween was close. It meant we could pick out pumpkins and begin begging to carve them. It meant dad and I would have to begin creating whatever outlandish costume I had decided on that year.
There is something about making your own costume. Somehow between October 31 and September I would forget how hard it was to walk and trick or treat in a big box that we had turned into something incredible...but I loved that time then and I smile even more now thinking back on it.
I remember the year I was a witch and my brother was Batman. We were living in New Jersey and I think I dressed up for school and to trick or treat...which meant goopy green makeup had to be applied twice. I vaguely remember asking (or perhaps more accurately TELLING) my mom to apply the makeup all by myself. If I remember correctly...it meant I was in Maplewood...which also meant I was in Kindergarten or first grade. I also had a really big problem with the fact that my black shirt to be a witch had bright colorful buttons sewed to it...Sigh...
I also remember the year my dad helped me make (okay...lets be real...he made them) butterfly wings with my old preschool artwork. One year we did the classic blow up a bunch of balloons and put them inside a dry cleaning bag wrapped around your child exposing only their hands, legs below the knee and head... If I remember correctly, I couldn’t sit at my desk in school...I also don’t remember if I was a bag of grapes or a bag of jelly beans that year. I do remember loving that costume.
EIther the year before or the year after the witch I was a ballerina. If you have never heard the story of Lindsey as ballet dancer I will give you the abridged version. I was signed up for tap and ballet...great...I went to class...great...We had a recital...fantastic...my friend Erin Murray was in my class...fun...after the recital we went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream...I got bubble gum ice cream (my favorite at the time)...I signed up for a second year of dance class...it was because of the ice cream at the end...not the act of dancing...again, another indication of who I am today...EITHER WAY...I was a ballerina for Halloween. I was probably in first grade, because Ben in the stroller was a bee and not 2 weeks old...he was a yar old I am pretty sure. This costume was, I think, the most girly thing I chose to do in the early years of my life. That night was a FIGHT of epic proportions for a 6 year old. You see, my costume consisted of a leotard, tights and a tutu. We lived in New Jersey. October 31 in New Jersey is COLD. My mom made me put on a white sweater before she would let me go trick or treat. “BALLERINAS DO NOT WEAR SWEATERS!” I yelled. I don’t remember my mom replying...but the picture from Halloween that night is me...a pretty ballerina with tutu, eyeshaddow and a bun on my head...wearing a large, white sweater. Victory mom.
I remember lots of school parades for Halloween.
I remember being allowed to have candy and cupcakes and a party. It was the best day of school EVER! The world has changed a lot. Not only can we not celebrate religious holidays in school...we also can’t celebrate KID holidays in school anymore...
The best costumes (BY FAR!!!) that my dad and I ever made were The Empire State Building and an ATM. Both of these costumes had fatal flaws though. The Empire State Building was made in South Orange...so I was in 3rd or 4th grade...I think 4th because I am pretty sure I was a vampire in 3rd grade (even though that is lame) and I think I remember that because we have a class picture of Mrs. Leverett’s class...and a blonde boy in my class was a REALLY good Steve Urkle. Back to The Empire State Building though--THAT COSTUME WAS FREAKING HEAVY. Two weekends of paper mache on cardboard boxes just increased the weight of that structure. Let’s also be real, The Empire State Building is really tall...so was my costume...and my legs were covered with boxes, my knees could bend but not enough to walk up stairs (easily) to get to front doors to beg for candy. The next year, we learned. I was an ATM. I think I was in 5th grade because we were living in Raleigh. My dad and I went to the Nations Bank and we did rubbings with crayon of the logo and the surfaces of the ATM. Today we would probably be arrested doing things like that. We learned not to make the box so long and at least the ATM didn’t cover my knees...BUT...an ATM is square...we got too wide a box...and I couldn’t hold my trick or treat bag with both hands in front of me. (you know to open it up to random strangers so they could pour candy in it).
Subsequent years meant less ambition to create Halloween costumes. I do remember a band concert that fell on (or maybe just near) Halloween. We were allowed to wear costumes...and I am certain it was 1995 because I painted the Windows 95 logo on a T-shirt for the costume contest. I thought I was clever....
I don’t remember Halloween in High School...it wasn’t a big deal. In college, not so much either...I remember painting a green sweatsuit with Crayola markings to be a crayon one year...I think in college, but now that I am older I find myself wanting to observe this fantastic holiday again. I want trick or treaters to come to my house framed with glowing carved pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns and perhaps some artificial cobweb and a fake tombstone or two. I also want babies dressed in super-cute snuggly costumes... Someday...
I also remember the candy part of Halloween when we were younger. Ben, my brother is a number of years younger than me which means there were a number of years when I was able to sweet talk him out of my favorite candy and make trades like RAISINS for SKITTLES (might explain the two of us if you look at us today!) and even though as he got older and grew wise to my shenanigans, he never really “won” the Halloween Candy game in our house. You see, chocolates were usually taken out of the bag and put in the freezer...we could have one or two...but for a long while that was dad’s stash. Dad likes frozen Snickers and Milky Way if I remember correctly...
This practice left us with anything hard, chewy, fruity or <gasp> healthy. A few years I was also left with a few pennies...I think in Maplewood some of the older neighbors gave them out from a dish by their front door. I remember vividly thinking how cool it was they were giving me FREE MONEY! (sigh, to be young again!) But, that aside, back to what is important...my brother is frugal. He always has been. He lives effectively on budgets and planning. He would count dimes and save them all up for a big purchase. He did the same thing with his Halloween candy. He would trick or treat and then after sorting it and counting it he would stash it away in a pillowcase or plastic bin in a super-secret hiding place in his bedroom...usually in his closet, sometimes in the drawer under his bed...and he would forget about it. So, even once he was too smart to trade for raisins, I had a stellar stash at my disposal--as long as he was out of the house or playing outside and I could sneak into his room undetected. Seriously, the kid still had half a bin left one year when he went out trick or treating for more!
Halloweens since college have been filled with NFTY events that fell over Halloween weekend and 20-something nights of pumpkin carving and TV on the couch. I never bought in to the Nightmare on M Street deal in DC...and I didn’t think it was worth a $50 cover to get into a massive party in a club on U Street. The best Halloween memory in DC was going out to Butler’s with Bess and spending the day on the farm, picking out pumpkins and enjoying a DC fall day...We carved our pumpkins that year-mine had stars and swirls and my monogram carved in. Bess made a Rabbi with curly hair ringlets and even a little yarmulke I think...typical. OH...and the best Halloween treat in DC- Pumpkin custard from The Dairy Godmother...or that flavor they had that had crunchies on top and pumpkin seeds...man, I miss that place! One Halloween in DC I also remember dressing up for a costume contest at the gym...I was a tennis player in a white polo shirt and pink pleated skirt...such is the story of my life...
Last year, I asked Chris to pick out pumpkins and make time one night for us to carve. We did and the Thursday before Halloween we carved our pumpkins. I knew I would not be around for Halloween night--another NFTY regional event...such is life--so we celebrated early. Once again, our pumpkins were pretty indicative of our personalities. Chris was no-nonsense, loopy, wonky eyes, rounded triangle nose and a toothy grin. I spent time cutting stars and carving swirls, adding a crescent moon and finally adding a few bats into the night sky. This year, again we planned to carve pumpkins. Chris was more willing to plan this event this year. Last year I got a bit of pushback and silly comments about this being a bit childish. Chris found an organic farm this year to go and pick out our pumpkins. We drove out together and spent time looking at the produce and farm-made goods and left with 3 beautiful pumpkins. Saturday I told Chris I was going to carve the third before he got home--because it takes me longer to do one, let alone two--and I carved a lovely U for Miami and the ‘Miami’ text. We celebrated Halloween sitting by the pool, carving our classic pumpkins. I went with a vampire this year...he again opted for triangle eyes, triangle nose and toothy grin. “How many times do we have to do this before this is tradition,” Chris asked. “Do it once, something new...do it twice, it’s tradition!”
Who knows what all of this means for the future. I know that I want to be that house that has the Halloween party to beat all others. I am excited about the day I can peel grapes for eyeballs and have little kids walk on potato chip bones. I want to make costumes and invite trick or treaters...I love the fall season. Halloween and then Thanksgiving-another favorite. If only it would get a bit cooler here in Florida.
for now
LM
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