Halloween Memory Monday

I hope you all had a fun Halloween!  From the time I was about 7 on, my family did not celebrate Halloween.  Instead, we would attend Fall Festivals at church!  They were always so much fun!

But, I remember when we did go trick or treating.  I remember our street being packed with kids running around like crazy.   There were more people than you could count, and no moms went with us, either!  As long as we were home by the time we were told. 

Having a crafty seamstress mom and grandma, we always had some rockin' Halloween costumes. I was Raggedy Ann one year and looked just like her!  But my favorite costume of all times was one not many people could figure out.  When I was 14 or so I dressed up as Martin Luther, complete with the bald spot and 95 Thesis.  No one put it together that Halloween is also Reformation Day, but I sure thought it was creative!

 I don't usually let my little ones go trick or treating, either, unless it is to our friends' houses.  This year, I decided that I was going to let them, because the weather was just beautiful.  Little Man was going as "The Highway Man".  I sewed yellow stripes to his black sweatsuit, then hot glued some toy cars to it!  He hated it.  You see, my son loves toy cars and trucks so much that he would choose them over food.  So he walked around all night crying for his "tuck" and trying to rip it off.  My little Flower was to go as a tornado.  We sewed individual strips of yarn to her gray sweatshirt and tied toys horses, barbies, cars, trees and house to the ends of some.  Then, when she spun around she looked like a tornado.  I stayed up LATE finishing her costume, because as you can imagine, sewing individual pieces of yarn is time consuming. 

Well, I was just about to go to bed when I heard a faint "MOMMY!" coming out of her room.  Well, hello stomach bug, goodbye Halloween.  My poor girl was up all night throwing up; consequently I was up all night.  Mattie was devastated.  The one time mommy was going to take them begging for candy and she got sick!  So, I put on my best old lady costume and walked around the house like that all day to try to cheer her up. 

We did open the door for a few trick or treaters, but it ended up making me frustrated.  Hardly any actually said "trick or treat", they just stuck their buckets out at me.  Even fewer said "thank you", which made me want to reach in and take the candy back.  I am also certain that there were lots of moms who, rather than getting their kids costumes, threw a few mis-matched pieces of clothing on them and pretended. 

But the kicker was my last trick or treaters of the night.  Two girls and a young man....had to be at least 15.  all three had IPods in their hands, ear buds in their ears.  Without so much as looking at me, the boy handed me his bucket.  That was it.  So, I gave the three of them 1 piece of candy and about 10 business cards. 

I turned the light out after that, because I was just mad.  Parents.....really?  Is this what you taught them to do!?

Last year I had a "last straw" episode too.  It was when a 13 year old came up to the door in a princess costume to trick or treat....and she was pregnant.  Oy.

But, as the Barb Wire Man reminded me, there is a plus side to all this.  We still have lots of candy left, and it just happens to be our favorite!