Trick or treat, smell my feet…

From My Perspective

By Toni Walker

“…Give me something good to eat.” I believe that everyone in my generation chanted that phrase many times while we were young. That was the quintessential Halloween phrase. As people prepare for Halloween and all its festivities in the coming days, I was taken back to those days growing up.

Costumes back then were nothing like they are now. My store-bought costumes (which I really didn’t have many of) came in cardboard boxes with this cool little, cellophane-covered window, under which you could always see the mask perfectly. That mask was usually made of a thin plastic-type material with eye-holes barely large enough to see through. And there was no sneaking candy from your bucket while you were out, because, IF you were lucky enough to have a mask with a mouth hole, it was usually just a hole, small enough to let enough air in that you would sweat profusely , no matter the temperature. The actual costume was usually more of a body suit, which made taking a restroom break one of the most difficult experiences of the evening.

My mom made most of my costumes, though, and those are the ones I remember the most. There was one year that I was a bumblebee, complete with antennae and a stinger. Now, when I was a kid, every store seemed to have something going on at Halloween. Stores would have costume contests along with giving away candy, and of course, we would hit them all. I can remember at one of the contests at a large department store, my mom told me to turn around and “shake your stinger at the judges.” Guess what! It worked. You just can’t get the same reaction now days with the costumes out there. Pirates, scarecrows, the bumblebee, and even a really cool Raggedy Ann costume gave me some of my most memorable Halloweens nights.

Adults took Halloween to another level when I was growing up. My grandparents lived in a neighborhood that consisted of about five streets, and I think I got candy from just about everyone on most Halloween evenings. Now, these folks would not simply hand out candy. No, anybody can do that. I remember that most of these houses would decorate at the first of October, in preparation for one night. My grandfather was one of the most well-known Halloween decorators in the neighborhood. He would decorate, at the beginning of the month, and would always include a “man” dressed up and sitting in a chair by the carport door. There was always a creepy mask and a set of my grandfather’s coveralls involved in the dressing of the “man.” Since I am older now, and my grandfather no longer does this, I can share his trick. On Halloween night, my grandfather would remove the “man” (usually made of a piece of foam), put on the clothes and mask, and takes his place in the chair. There were many a knees scraped and blood-curdling screams let out when that man, who sat there all month, would move as they reached for the doorbell. Funny thing is, there was never any talk of suing, of arguments over a child getting hurt. Hmm, makes you think. Come to think of it, there were a lot of things that people didn’t make such a big deal out of.

As you prepare your children, or yourself, to attend the Harvest Festivals or trick-or-treating, remember to always “give them something good to eat.” Because, whether you believe it or not, you are creating memories that will last long after the candy is gone.