I always loved the idea of free candy; who wouldn’t?! Having king-sized Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and my other favorite, the classic Snickers bar, thrown in my candy bag while skipping from house to house was always a win in my book!
As a kid, my mom always had us eating pretty healthy, so indulging in Halloween treats was always super exciting. I also loved the whole idea of dressing up and being whoever I wanted for the day! Looking through old childhood photos, you’ll find me dressed as a cowgirl, a My Little Pony, and even a New York Jets cheerleader. My mom always dressed us in cute costumes that usually stemmed from whatever was popular then, and she was adamant that we would never dress in anything scary.
As I grew up and my mom became more involved in her newly found Christian faith, she became very anti-Halloween. She decided that Halloween had some not-so-positive undertones and told us we would no longer celebrate. I was devastated. This occurred when I was around ten or eleven, and my friends were starting to plan group Halloween costumes and places to trick-or-treat together.
Even though we lived in a safe neighborhood, she would no longer let me go out after school, so I had to stay home. My dreams of collecting M&Ms and Butterfingers were a thing of the past. I always told her I wanted to wear a costume, run around to get some candy, and spend time with my friends, but she wouldn’t budge.
I wasn’t the kind of kid to get into real mischief like throwing eggs and toilet-papering houses, so I felt I was being punished for no reason. I became resentful, and despite her encouraging me to give up Halloween, it made me love it even more. I told myself that when I had my own kids, I would make it extra fun for them!
When I went away to college, you can imagine that every year when Halloween rolled around, I was psyched. Like a typical college girl, I always tried to do something cute, easy, and budget-friendly. I spent many years dressed up as a black cat, a bunny, a Catholic schoolgirl, and, of course, the typical mouse.
I always found the quote from Mean Girls to be hilarious. “In the real world, Halloween is when kids dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut, and no other girls can say anything else about it.” I have a few photos in some costumes that would make Mommy me blush now, but it was all good fun.
I loved going to Halloween parties, and when I got older, I loved giving out candy to the trick-or-treaters. I always tried to give out the good stuff! Now that I have my own kids, I love getting them dressed up, taking lots of pictures, and enjoying the day! I occasionally loved the chance to dress up as something terrifying, perhaps since I never got to do it as a kid! A couple of years ago, I volunteered to dress up as a creepy vampire and scared the local middle schoolers on their haunted trail.
Last year, my husband and I were invited to a vampire-themed Halloween party, and I decided the whole family would go all out and do a true Halloween theme. It made for some great pictures!
At age 43 now, I may be too old to be having this much fun, but you’ll see me every Halloween trick-or-treating with my kids around our neighborhood, having just as much fun as they are. I try to make every house we walk up to an adventure!
