Halloween Memories

Dad B and I were discussing our childhood Halloween memories. One of mine was having the choice to be either 1) a ghost (by cutting two holes in an old white sheet) 2) a gypsy (by wearing ALL of my Mom’s jewelry) or 3) a Hobo (an old suit jacket of my Dad’s with the sleeves rolled up and a handkerchief tied to a stick). Through the years of my childhood I was each of these choices and my favorite was probably the ghost (because I could wear my winter coat and still fit the costume over top of it). I also remember the year I was a hobo and my Dad used his lighter to burn the end of a wine cork and use it to make my face look dirty….. that was pretty cool.

Dad B also reminded me of the great Halloween costumes that K-Mart sold. They were $1.99-$2.99 and included two pieces. The coolest part was the mask. It was hard plastic with an elastic band that went around your head. It also had 3 holes in it. Two for your eyes and one for the mouth. I don’t think we were all mouth breathers back then, so I am not sure why they all had the ‘mouth hole’. Really the only thing that hole was good for was to cut your tongue when you (and by this I mean we all did it) stuck your tongue through it. It was always easier to get my tongue out through the hole then to get it back in again!

The other part of these costumes was the suit that you wore. It was one-piece outfit that you had to step into (while wearing pants to stay warm, so that was tricky) then you slid your arms in and tied the little tie that was in the back. It usually ended up looking very “bunchy” because of all the clothes you had to wear underneath…. Plus if it was cold you had to wear your coat over it anyway, so no one could tell who you were. While we were talking about these costumes Dad B made a great comment…. He mentioned that it was amazing that he survived Halloween because those K-Mart suits were highly flammable and his Mom was a chain smoker! They don’t make costumes like that anymore!! ☺