Trick or Treat . . . All
Hallows’ Evening
by Tessa Gray
I’m always fascinated by the lengths
people go to when it comes to decorating their homes for Halloween. I must
confess I’m a bit of a “Halloween Scrooge” about celebrating the event. My view
is that Halloween is nothing more than a preamble to Thanksgiving, and we need
to get it over with as quickly as possible. The decoration on this post is one
my daughter, Megan, made us over twenty years ago. When you drop by our home
for a visit, it’s the only sign of Halloween you’ll see.
If you’re a fan of Halloween, you
have the Scots and Brits to thank because when they immigrated to America, they
brought this Gaelic tradition (dating back to the Middle Ages) with them.
Legend has it that people of Gaelic descent believed that on October 31st
of every year, the boundaries between the living and dead overlapped when those
who had passed on came back to earth, damaging crops and causing illness. I suspect people back then were as relieved
to get Halloween over with as I am. I do have some Irish blood in me, so
perhaps I’m channeling one of my ancestors.
Halloween began gaining momentum in
America during the twentieth century, but when World War II was being fought
and sugar was rationed, much of the celebration was placed on hold from April
of 1942 until June of 1947. Initially Halloween was called All Hallows’ Evening
but eventually, it was dubbed Halloween.
The first Halloween costume I recall
wearing was a tattered, white bed sheet, as I pretended to be Casper the
Friendly Ghost. As you can see, we Minnesotans didn’t plunk down a lot of money
for costumes. Of course, it doesn’t always have to be about money. When I
approached puberty and my foster mom wouldn’t allow me to wear make-up, I
skirted around the issue by dressing up like a gypsy, piling on all the
lipstick and rouge I could get my hands on! As the old saying goes, this
‘killed two birds with one stone’ because I didn’t have to spend much money,
and I was allowed to wear a week’s worth of makeup in one
night.
The most innovative costume I’ve
ever seen was in a Lawrenceville, New Jersey school parade where a little guy
dressed as a Lipton teabag. His very creative mother stuffed gorgeous,
brilliantly colored leaves into a clear, plastic bag and wrote the Lipton Tea
logo at the top. I wish I’d taken a picture. We Americans can be innovative,
can’t we?
But as blasé’ as I am about
Halloween, there is one that’s forever etched in my memory. My foster sister
and I shared a bedroom and had just gone to bed and turned off the lights when
we saw a large, gnarled shaped twig scraping against our window. Startled, we
sat up in bed and stared at one another. The scraping continued, and before
long, a low moan could be heard just outside our window. By now we were
clinging to one another like passengers on a lifeboat. Within minutes, we saw
my foster mother’s face appear in the window as she screamed, “Boo!”
That incident, as silly as it was, provided
me with an important life lesson. My foster mother had just enough ‘kid’ in her
to remind me that life is to be enjoyed; a little playfulness is always a good
thing. When she passed on several years ago, I shared that impactful moment at
her memorial service and it brought smiles to those who knew her well.
In the course of our lives, there
are many reasons to celebrate, but in that celebration, we need to remind
ourselves that as we live each day, we’re creating memories; memories that are
powerful; memories that we’ll share with our loved ones. It’s important, even
for me, a non-celebrator of Halloween, to remember to take time to “play.” I’m
thankful for a foster mother who had enough ‘kid’ in her to teach me a valuable
life lesson. As I share this memory, with you, my readers, I’ve made the
decision to add a couple of decorations to the house and get into the spirit of
Halloween.
Happy All Hallows’ Evening, and if
you see any ghosts out there, I hope they’re as friendly as Casper.
Interesting post, Tessa. Thanks for sharing your memories. Glad you have decided to get into the "spirit" of Halloween.
ReplyDeleteFun post, Tessa. Personally, I love trick or treaters. At least, the small ones who are so excited and have cute costumes. I don't think of it as a pagan holiday, but as a time for kids to be kids. Oh, and there's chocolate. ☺
ReplyDeleteWhen I had kids at home we decorated for Halloween. Now I just decorate for fall with a few jack'o lanterns in the mix. I've always live out of town so the only trick or treaters we get are the occasional neighbor kid. But rarely. I usually have some candy bars that go in my hubby's lunch that I can hand out if one shows up.
ReplyDeleteLike Caroline, to me it's all about having fun dressing up and getting candy.
Good info.
When the kids were little, I decorated. That was then. This is now -- no decorations but a big bowl of hubby's favorite candies in case there are leftovers after the Trick or Treaters leave.
ReplyDelete