Halloween has
always been one of my favorite holidays. I don't remember celebrating
until we moved to Nebraska when I was 8, but after that I have a lot
of fun memories.
For weeks before
Halloween we planned our costumes. It was a major decision what we
were going to wear. Then we had to find the perfect components. All
costumes were homemade. There weren't many commercially made costumes
available back in 1968. Only kids with no imagination got those
anyway. We did our best to outdo one another.
I wish I could say
that I remember every costume I ever wore, but that would be a lie.
The only one I have a clear memory of was the year I was 9. I wanted
to be a ballerina and begged my mother for tights, leotard and a
tutu. My birthday is October 3rd, so she gave me the
tights and leotard as gifts. The tutu we made from an old petticoat
that we found in the basement of our old apartment complex back in
Cambridge. Mom had, wisely, saved the netting for costumes.
Wouldn't you know
the night before Halloween, we got the first snow of the season. We
kids, while excited to get the snow, were upset because this greatly
changed Halloween plans. How could we properly display our costumes
if we had to wear coats?
I didn't want to
wear a coat and argued with my mother about it for over an hour.
Finally, my father intervened. I could wear my coat or stay home.
Those were my choices. I chose to wear my coat, but my father didn't
specify that it had to be fastened nor did he say that I had to wear
it the entire time. He was pretty specific about the boots. I was
absolutely not to take them off and could not wear my ballet slippers
instead.
Pouting and
sullen, I went with my sister and our neighbors, all of whom were
older, and trooped down the street. Each house has special treats.
Our mother gave pennies tied up in orange and black crepe paper. Next
door, Toby gave candy apples. Across the street, they gave us popcorn
balls. We all had our favorites and traded back and forth as we
worked the neighborhood.
Then we got to the
Phillips' house. They had two boys, Steve and Scott. Steve was too
old to care about Halloween, but Scott and his friends from the
junior high always had a party at their house. For the younger kids,
it was a lot of fun because Mr. and Mrs. Phillips always had us come
in. Before we got our treats, a bag full of candy and the best
cookies in the neighborhood, we had to perform a trick.
Like the costumes,
we planned these out for weeks. Since I was a ballerina, I did a
fancy dance pirouetting and spinning around until I got dizzy. I got
a special prize for having the best trick and Mrs. Phillips gave me
extra cookies to take home. All in all, it was a great Halloween and
probably the reason why it sticks out in my mind as the best Trick or
Treat ever.
©
2018 Dellani Oakes
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