Witches Only PleaseSidetracked Sisters

I think Halloween is actually more for adults than children. Every year you see more and more decorations, almost as much as Christmas. I, personally, like a few tasteful semi-scary decorations for Halloween, but the really gruesome ones I can do without.

The time, money, and energy that goes into all that decorating seems senseless to me, but that is just me. Let’s face it, the only part of Halloween that the kids enjoy is the candy. Do they really like getting dressed up? When shopping for a costume they really get excited, but face it, when it is time to put all that junk on their faces, masks, etc., how many really get into it? I get crabby when masks are a must to buy, but when it is time to wear them who really does, not to mention that schools now ban masks for fear of terrorists – what is that all about????? I must admit that the “Jello Shots” for the adults is a great idea and there should be more of them!!

This year’s Halloween was really fun because the weather cooperated. It was warm and beautiful with all the fall colors in full blaze and leaves on the ground smelling and sounding wonderful. This is not the norm as it is usually freezing, raining, sleeting, you name it. My grandson has a birthday around this time so it is always fun to go trick or treating and end up for chili and a birthday party. This makes it a really fun event for us.

I have had one of many funny happenings on Halloween. There was a time when my oldest was two years old. She was dressed in a red coat and red pants with a sign on her front that said “Trick or Treat”, and, of course, a slightly scary (silly) witch mask. We went to a neighbor’s door along with a bunch of other kids. When the neighbor opened the door my daughter with her silly, expressionless mask, was pushed off the porch and was left sitting in the bushes. Being the sympathetic mom that I was, I was left on the road laughing hysterically. The silly no expression on my daughter’s face due to the mask, and the lady’s confused expression left me absolutely out of control. Then there was the time in Wal-Mart when I put on a really, really creepy rubber mask and knelt down before my then three-year-old grandson. When I finally got his attention he started screaming and running down the aisle in the opposite direction. Again, I lost control. Grandma award I am not eligible for, but it sure was fun!!!

I like to think of Halloween as rather a mystical time rather than gory and creepy. A fun experience for us was when my husband’s boss’s wife who was involved in the theater came to our house when my kids were little. She came dressed as a witch, stayed in full character and costume, broom, hunched over and all, and did not talk to anyone but the girls, and then left the same way she came. When I watched her walk to her car I wouldn’t have been surprised if she would have ridden off on her broom. That really was a cool experience for all of us. The girls were in awe of her and I was amazed that she was able to pull off such a good characterization of a witch.

In our house, I always made it known that a great costume should be a great witch, not the silly princesses that all little girls want to be. It was always a great attraction in our neighborhood when you could hear the old witch cackling over her boiling pot of who knows what??? (bad little children possibly!!!) Word would spread and you could hear her for blocks and blocks, and no one could resist going to see her.
In our family, there have been several generations of witches. Now, the little disobedient grand-girls I have been trying to break from this tradition. Maybe great grand-girls will be again swayed to this fun tradition. (Remember the boiling pot – maybe naughty, disobedient grand-girls!!