Halloween Days of Yesteryear

This year, Halloween will be different.

This year, we won’t be building a costume around a hat plucked from the Hat Box, or scrambling to pull together a costume at the last minute.

This year, we won’t leave the Nonni in charge of giving out candy while we walk around the neighborhood talking to neighbors as our sons run up and down driveways.

This year, we won’t gather around the kitchen table with the evening’s bounty, everyone burrowing through the pile looking for their favorite treat—a Babe Ruth (me), Sour Patch Kids (the boys), Hershey’s bars (Joe), Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (Nonna), or any candy bar (Nonno, who likes it all).

This year, for the first time in over 20 years, we won’t have a child trick-or-treating. There will be no puppies, court jesters, Mr. Potato Heads, cattle rustlers, Harry Potters, Luke Skywalkers, pirates, football players, or Uncle Si.

Which is why this year ... I am thinking of all the Halloween days of yesteryear.

Candy Rules on Halloween

Dear Sons,


On Halloween night please remember to ...


1.      Be a Smartie as you’re walking around and watch for cars.

2.      Don’t rush; there are Good & Plenty houses to visit.

3.      Don’t let that last house at the end of the street slip through your Butterfingers … they are very generous.

4.       Remember Now and Later -- say thank you now rather than later.

5.      Tonight there will be an almost full moon, so look for the Milky Way.

6.      If your baby brother doesn’t want to visit the Haunted House, no Snickers!

7.      When Mom asks how much candy you ate, don’t tell a Whopper.

8.      Later, if you Rolo-ver with a tummy ache, Mom will give you a Rolo-aids to feel better.

Love you to Reese's Pieces

and wishing you Mounds of Almond Joy on Halloween night!

Love,

Mom




P.S. To make this cute ghost, go to see this post: Recipe for a Ghost

The Hat Box

Yesterday afternoon I received a text informing me that a Halloween costume (of some sort) was required for Bunco that evening.


Yikes. I'm just not good at this kind of stuff. The last time I wore a Halloween costume (several years ago) I dressed up as Mona Lisa (Joe was Leonardo da Vinci).




Halloween Bunco a few years ago.

Shaggy and Thelma, Leonardo da Vinci and Mona Lisa.
At a Halloween birthday party for a friend.

Since the text message also reminded us to wear Halloween colors I thought, "Ah Ha! I'll wear black! That's a Halloween color and I have LOTS of black!" Shocking, I know.


(That last sentence was sarcasm at its finest.)


So I wore a black, long sleeved shirt, black palazzo pants, and black booties. I accessorized with glittery earrings and 4-inch stack of glittery bangles.


Then, because it was Halloween I dug through our Hat Box. Yes, we have a huge box containing an assortment of hats: pirate, gangster, hippy, Viking, clown, cowboy, circus, princess, Storm Trooper ... you name it, we have it. We love our Hat Box. When the boys were little it was the source of never-ending make-believe, and it always came in handy when we hosted Mad Hatter Dinners.




The Mad Hatter Dinner: No hat, no food.
All hats come from The Hat Box.

This time I decided that, since I was all in black, some red devil ears would be perfect.


A devil in disguise. Easy Peasy.

Candy Rules

1.      Be safe, and be a Smartie as you’re walking around.

2.      Don’t rush, there are Good & Plenty houses to visit.

3.      Don’t let the last house slip through your Butterfingers … they are very generous.

4.      Make sure that Now and Later to say thank you to our nice neighbors.

5.      Tonight there will be a full moon, so there will be an amazing view of the Milky Way.

6.      If your baby brother doesn’t want to visit the Haunted House, no Snickers!

7.      When Mom asks how much candy you ate, don’t tell a Whopper.

8.      Later, if you Rolo-ver with a tummy ache, Mom will give you a Rolo-aids to feel better.

My Little Court Jester
(tonight he is a Rancher ... photos later)