Saturday, October 31, 2009

Getting Ready For Halloween

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I think we are all ready for the two or three trick or treaters we will have tonight. It sure isn't like it used to be when I was a girl and a whole bunch of us would get together in our little costumes our moms and grandmothers had made for us to go out and knock on doors to get extort some candy from our neighbors. Our tactics usually resulted in all sorts of candy...we didn't know it wasn't a good thing. Sometimes someone who didn't have kids would give us a candied apple. Those were such a waste on us...we didn't really like them, but were polite when they were given. We would nearly fill up a pillow case and it was sugar overload for us....but at that time we didn't know it wasn't good for us. We were too busy playing and running all over the place.

On the weekend before Halloween my mother would have a party for the neighborhood. It was great fun for those who loved Halloween. Everyone would get dressed up and the neighbors would come in costume too, for the Halloween party. She LOVED getting things ready. She would peel grapes to simulate eyeballs, a bowl of cold spaghetti subbed for a bowl of brains-you were blindfolded and had to stick your hand in the bowl and tell what it was. There was a wash tub with apples for bobbing, and there would be Mulligan Stew (a hobo dish from the Great Depression-that should be in style for this year) for everyone later in the evening. All of this would be set up in the garage since it is usually mild in Texas this time of year, and the adults would hang together and the kids with the kids. I've noticed lately that some of the ideas, from my mother's era are coming back to the Halloween parties.

For some reason, Halloween is no longer one of my favorite holidays. It is one of the oldest holidays in history and the name is a corruption of the Catholic Church's All Hallows Eve. Halloween is the day before All Hallows Day, also known as All Saint's Day. The Celts celebrated the end of summer on October 31st and it was called Samhain (pronounced sow-in). That being said I just love seeing the kids dressed up out with their parents "demanding swag" from the neighbors with their little bitty voices saying in unison....twick o tweet!

Btw-I'm eating the candy corn and leaving the good stuff for the kids.

Halloween Facts from googling about, but the Halloween Facts post is creepy...it would't let me paste the url about the Halloween Facts page. Oh well, it wouldn't be Halloween with out some spooky carring ons. I hope those teenagers who are 6'5" and loom over me don't show up tonight. It is pretty darn creepy to open the door to them. They are bigger than I am and probably twice as mean. We'll see. Old age and treachery might foil them for the evening. *evil grin*

3 comments:

  1. Hi Amber, The last time I gave out treats I had over a 100 kids show up. It gets really expensive when that many come by. Tonight, we just turned off the lights and watched Kentucky play football. I did notice that there was only 2 porch lights turned on in sight of my house. We used to have people letting them out by the carload. I, too, had kids that looked like they were in their 20s even. The churches here have started having cars parked in their lots with treats in the trunks. The parents drive on the lots and the kids get out and go from car to car. The church members hand out the treats from the trunks of the cars. It is a lot safer for little kids.
    Happy Halloween to you!

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  2. Hey Judy,
    There were a good number tonight, that means they got a goodly amount of candy and there is some left for us. The gigantor trick or treaters haven't showed up..yet.

    I did get so tickled at a couple of little boys...they are about 12.
    They came to the door and I opened it. They started to say "Happy Hallo...ooopss...Trick of Treat!" We all laughed...the boys with me. It was funny.

    I just called my daughter who is now living in Austin to ask her about some words that I didn't know what they meant. I'm too old for them to be in my vocabulary, but nevermind that. She said the kids down there were saying Happy Halloween, too. A new custom or something.

    We are watching the World Series now. Rain delay is finally over.

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  3. It is so quiet on Halloween in our rfetirement community it is spooky.
    We did not turn on lights and didn't have any visitors.

    There was parties everywhere and free treats are given to everyone. The TRUNK OR TREAT scheme of churches is spreading. Our church had one.

    I always hated having to buy candy I did not need, but ate leftovers, and at the time my husband did not need because of his rotting teeth. Now he has no teeth that rot.

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