Trick or treaters will soon arrive at the door. What was your favorite thing to get in your trick-or-treat bag? I'm sure the other hosts of this party will chime in on that.
My best memories are of the things that came only once, truly once in a lifetime. A popcorn ball, sweet, buttery and crisp, warm in its wax paper bag. One time I got a warm chocolate chip cookie in a Halloween themed wax paper bag. Another time, a small set of sugar skulls that chewed or melted in your mouth like sugar cubes, grainy and sweet.
I haven't handed out treats in the last few years of increased danger of crime and violence. My building is kind of a fortress, so you have to sit outside with your lantern and treats so the kids can know not to pass you by. The last time I did that, with some other people in my building, I handed out the small individual pecan pies, which are getting harder and harder to find nowadays. I want the kids to have that extra nice treat they'll remember.
As a kid I thought those who threw one piece of hard candy into each kid's bag were losers, but now I understand that people without much money were good to participate and keep it fun.
What was your best treat? And what do you like to give out to the trick-or-treaters at your door?
A few thoughts about costumes (because I always write too much):
I have always enjoyed costume parties, but have few photos to show for it. The default has been to make costumes out of regular clothes. In fact I have never bought a costume. As a little kid, I can remember mum doing me up as a princess one year, another year as a skeleton in black pajamas printed with long white bones. I didn't like the skeleton costume much, but it was warm.
Not Halloween was my angel outfit the year I got my ears pierced. The folks wouldn't let me do it until I was 13, so as Christmas approached, my earlobes were healed, showing shiny 14k gold orbs. One Saturday night I spent at Grandma's house, I showed them off to her. She was so happy for me. The next morning I woke up to the aroma of the air popper. Popcorn for breakfast? I was all in for it. I was given a little bowl of popcorn with breakfast, and while I ate, Grandma said "we're going to show off those beautiful earrings". She proceeded to make me a popcorn halo, strung onto florist wire, twisted shut, with a ribbon bow tied around the closure. She pulled up my hair up into a French twist, and plopped that surprise popcorn halo on top, secured it in a couple of places with bobby pins so it would stay put. Everybody at Sunday school loved it, and, long story short, for our church choir Christmas concert that year, the whole choir wore popcorn halos. The boys didn't have a ribbon bow on theirs, just a bit of knotted ribbon. And guess who made those halos on demand for everybody? Hi Grandma, are you up there in heaven knowing you are being remembered with love?
Anyway, back to costumes. In high school I was a pirate for one Halloween party, which involved nothing more than cut-off jeans, boots, a t-shirt, some kind of hat or cap I don't recall clearly, and an eye patch.
In college the stand-out memories are of being a Bavarian girl one year, or Tyrolean, a costume using a skirt I had, a blouse I had, and a black vest embroidered with flowers. The next year I was a nun, which involved anchoring a folded pair of white cotton panties to my head, with a black scarf veil pinned over. The nun's habit was a full length black bathrobe, not terry cloth, just cotton jersey with a sash. The next year that same robe was my witch's costume, with a pointed witch hat from the dollar store.
In 2022, Jimi admonished me for not making a selfie of what I did. I had new upstairs neighbors. They'd only moved in a few days before, and one October night I heard people coming in, heard music as their door opened and closed. They were having a Halloween party without me! I wasn't hurt. We didn't know each other yet, but I could tell they were a nice couple. I threw together a brownie mix, and while it baked I put on black pants, black t-shirt, dramatic eyeliner, and used iodine to paint blood dripping from the corners of my mouth. I zombie carried the plate of warm brownies up the stairs, knocked, and voila, got an invitation to come in and stay. In 2023 I went to a friend's Halloween party as a cat, using regular clothes and dollar store accessories.
