Memories of Halloween past

 Technically, this is our first Halloween as empty nesters.

It won’t be much different than the last couple of years, as our Aggie son didn’t exactly go trick-or-treating and, living out in the sticks, no one has come to our door seeking candy. It’s kind of sad, really, to think that such an enjoyable time of our lives has passed into history. Next to Christmas, Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays. I’ve always enjoyed dressing up in costumes and eating candy. I don’t eat candy anymore and it’s been years since I’ve put on a costume – unless you count my historical reenactment gear.

Some of my earliest memories are of pinning on a bath towel and pretending to be Batman or putting on a cheap straw hat and being a cowboy. Sometimes I’d be Captain Kirk or Luke Skywalker.
As the oldest of three boys, I was always the main hero whenever we pretended to be various characters. I was never Robin or Tonto or the bad guy. I had to be the hero. I think my siblings may have harbored some resentment over that, but I make no apologies – age does have its privileges.
As a little kid, my mother always made a big deal about the day we would go to Kmart and get our costumes. She would announce the day weeks in advance and let the anticipation build. Of course, we would look at ads in the newspapers and even browse the costume aisle at Kmart to figure out exactly what we wanted to be.
I don’t know why we got so excited about those flimsy plastic suits with the face masks held on by a thin elastic band. We just did. I recall one time being wet-your-pants excited about being the Road Runner. I was so proud of that costume. I must have taken it out of the box a dozen times to show it off to everyone that came to the house.

Our beloved costumes would always be showing a little wear by the time the appointed day arrived. First up on Halloween day were the festivities at Niwot Elementary School. The day always ended with a costume party and a parade around the school. That usually caused some damage and/or staining to our costumes. We were kids. We didn’t care. Besides, if Mom couldn’t fix it or clean it, chances are it would be hidden under our coats (the price of living in Colorado). 

Of course, the costumes – if they survived Halloween night – were usually damaged within days and trashed and forgotten not long after that.
One of the certainties I could count on was having it snow or be very cold on Halloween night in Colorado. Too often, the prized outfit was covered up under a jacket. While that dampened our spirits, we were quickly cheered by the gobs of candy we accumulated going door to door. There is nothing like a sugar high to take your mind off the great costume that nobody got to see.
In the sixth grade I went as Captain Kirk. Only, I wore my yellow Star Trek shirt so often that no one realized I was actually in costume. Being on crutches because of a sprained ankle didn’t help.
As with most kids, the older I got, the less interested in Halloween I became. My first year in college, some classmates went trick-or-treating through the dorm dressed in costumes they threw together. When they reached my room, we asked if they were having any luck.
They opened their bags to reveal a few pieces of candy, some pencils, a few coins and a whole bunch of beer and condoms. Woo-hoo!

In my early adult years, I would go to Halloween parties dressed in the mountain man outfit that I wore when I worked on camp staff at a Boy Scout camp. I transitioned to wearing my Lone Ranger costume for several years until I lost weight and it no longer fit.

Sandy, my wife, loves to sew and has made numerous costumes over the years. Her focus of late has been on our Texas Revolution reenactment outfits and period attire for the Texas Renaissance Festival. Being able to dress up for these events is a great way for a couple of empty nesters to keep that Halloween spirit alive.