My love for Halloween started very early. My parents loved to entertain. We had neighbors over for New Years eve and then had my brother's friends over to celebrate the New Year. We had all the family over at the important holidays. Decorated bikes for 4th of July. You name it, we celebrated it.
Our house was on the corner. The front door faced one street and the carport was around on the other street. On Halloween my dad would take the day off and my parents would decorate the carport with orange and black crepe paper streamers and vintage Halloween cut outs of jack-o-lanterns, black cats, skeletons and witches. Then my dad would cook hot dogs (yes, the red kind) and serve them with chips and cokes to all the trick or treaters.
After my dad died Mom didn't undertake all of that. But she still decorated the house with the Halloween cutouts. My brother (who is 17 years older) would drag my sister and I, and who ever else wanted to come, with paper grocery sacks in hand to each. and. every. house. for six blocks. I can still remember whining "David, paleeze can we go home!!!" After we finally made it home we would then begin the sorting. To this day, I will never understand why adults think kids like those orange and black peanut butter taffy things or the butterscotch discs. Me? I loved the little boxes of Beechum gum or Chicklet gum and of course, the mini candy bars. Back then, those only came out at Halloween!
As I became an adult we celebrated every Halloween with our friends the Churches. They would go and trick-or-treat the Grandmom's houses then meet at our house to go with us. However, living in the same neighborhood I grew up in, most of the adults were seniors so there were a lot of dark porches to not welcome children. As our kids grew up and went on their merry ways it changed again. I clowned one Halloween. Yeah, the money was good to have but I missed Halloween. I got home at 8:30 with a dark porch at MY house! NEVER Again! My neighborhood is filled with kids and there is even a Halloween parade down the middle of the subdivision and a Hayride too! So this year come on by. I will have some yummy candy for ya!
3 comments:
oh molly, what i wouldn't do to see those vintage decorations! it does make me sad to miss out on the neighborhood thing. i would love to live somewhere with holiday parades! but why can't i have great old architecture and an active neighborhood?!?
You're just plain sweet. Have I told you that before? Just plain sweet. :)
We are so blessed to live in a neighborhood that goes all out for Halloween, too! We just love all holidays here at the Workman house! This Halloween will start out with a Halloween party completer with pumkin shaped pizza, cupcake decorating, and then on to trick or treating! Thank you for sharing. I love hearing all of your stories! Your mantel looks great by the way!
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