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Memories of Halloweens past
By Krista Goerte
Published October 29, 2009
For a child not intimidated by its weighty history and negative connotations, All Hallows Eve is one of the most looked-forward-to nights of the year.
I can remember weeks in advance planning a costume, as my older sister seemed to think that store-bought costumes were just a little too cookie-cutter. One year a ghost, the next Cousin Itt from “The Addams Family,” then on to the ingenious costume idea of a stop sign, complete with a painted red nose where it poked through the cardboard mask (a breathing hole, of course). The last year I trick-or-treated, I went as a remote control — complementing my brother’s TV costume, of course. Both were made from large cardboard boxes. My brother’s costume was the neatest, though — he got to actually be IN the TV, while everyone thought it was great fun to “push my buttons.”
But what a thrill it was, to dress up like somebody else, just for an evening. Plus, my siblings and I weren’t about to argue with the pillow cases half full of candy after we had lugged them around to every single house in the neighborhood, practically dragging them on the way back home because of the weight.
To me, that’s what Halloween was about as a kid, and that’s the way I choose to see it now. It’s about creativity, imagination, and of course, candy.
It is the one time of the year that societal norms are, for all intents and purposes, thrown out the window. Everyday dress turns into superhero costumes and fairy princess costumes. A normally timid child can become that scary ghost or figure that might have been “haunting” his or her thoughts at night. The aspiring fireman, policeman or doctor gets a chance to feel what it’s like to “be” the professional he or she has idolized from afar.
And the debate still rages about how old is too old to trick or treat. My answer: Anyone brave enough to dress up in a costume, truly get into the spirit of the holiday and actually walk up to the door and yell “trick or treat” deserves that piece of candy.
In today’s society, while Halloween is one of the few times a child is allowed to be whoever (or whatever) he or she wants to be, the funny thing is, it’s true for adults as well.
Beyond Halloween’s sometimes controversial origins lies a holiday rife with creative costumes, individual expression and sugar, dampened only by the societal pressures we place on our children and ourselves.
Krista Goerte is a staff writer for The Paris News.
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