It's Halloween and I'm wondering if Sweetheart and I should come up with a costume to wear for the Halloween parties. If you ask Sweetheart, the answer is no.
There's a party at the senior center and one at the dance. Some people will be in costume.
Some of them will win prizes. I want to be part of the action. I just don't want to take the time and put on my thinking cap to come up with an original idea for a costume.
I've been ambivalent about dressing for Halloween since I was in first grade and everyone wore a costume on the specified day. I don't remember how I was dressed, but it was loosely.
Since my mother was not there, I had to put on my costume by myself--my five-year-old self. As I paraded with the rest of my classmates from room to room, my wig fell awry; I tripped over my dress; and my full face mask slipped to one side, so that I could only see out of one eye hole.
It was downhill from there. (Or, was it uphill?) My mother and sister took me out to trick or treat one night. They sat in the car outside a couple of houses while I went to the door by myself. I got an apple, a Clark bar and a popcorn ball. I was not thrilled. The Clark bar was the only redeeming factor.
Another time, Mom and I went to visit my aunts and uncles and I dressed for the occasion. I wore an Indian face mask and wrapped an Indian blanket around me. It was first grade all over again. They gave me pieces of hard candy wrapped in cellophane for my treat. I have hated hard candy ever since.
When Halloween time came for my children, I tried to come up with alternative activities. Not only did I have a hard time coming up with costume ideas, I didn't want them eating all of the candy that trick or treating produces. One year we went roller skating and had a good time.
As the years passed, the children grew up and left home; my husband passed away; and I was single again. I didn't realize, until then, that adults went to parties and dressed up for the scary holiday. So, I tried it. And I liked it. I even won a couple of prizes.
I'm still thinking about whether to get dressed for Halloween. Whatever I decide, I'm not going to wear a full face mask. And I'll be darned if I'm eating any hard candy.
Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or make a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com