For
three years in a row, I was a black cat. With long whiskers and a little nose
drawn on my face with eyeliner, a tight headband with felt ears, and a black
turtleneck and leggings, I pranced around our neighborhood, meowing, hissing,
and embracing my role with verve and vigor. Sure, I wasn’t the most
creative at dressing up for Halloween, but it was a holiday I loved
nonetheless.
I
looked forward to scooping squishy handfuls of guts and seeds out of big orange
pumpkins. On such occasions, Mama would cover the kitchen table in yesterday’s
newspaper, preparing the work space of the family artist: Daddy. Daddy’s deft
hand would then trace that year’s masterpiece onto the surface of the pumpkin.
I loved to watch him, as he cut out each sliver and chunk, the spooky face of
the gourd emerging before my very eyes.
After
the carving was complete and as the sun was setting, we’d deliver, with much
ceremony, the finished Jack O’Lantern to its rightful spot on the front porch.
Mama would place a small tea-light in the bottom, light the wick, and Jack
would come to life, glowing spookily in the early dusk of the October night.
These
memories of early Halloweens are still treasured, and the same sort of
excitement that gripped me as a child when the air would cool and pumpkins
would start popping up on front porches still bubbles up every fall.
In
a perfect recreation of that childhood ritual, Jeremy and I line the kitchen
table with newspaper. The perfect pumpkin, which has been chosen with much
consideration to carving surface, stem, and color, graces the table, as my mad
scientist husband brews up a suitably unique theme. Last year was
“Cannipumpkin,” in which a smaller pumpkin was affixed to the larger one as if
it was being eaten. This year the theme seems to be leaning towards zombies; they’re
trendy right now, and we want to be as timely as possible.
 |
| Cannipumpkin |
My
grown-up Halloween doesn't include the trick-or-treating of childhood days gone
by, and to be honest, I sometimes miss the process of going door-to-door,
smiling shyly, and receiving the fruits of my labor. I miss getting home from a
hard day’s night and dumping that plastic pumpkin and all of its treasure into
the living room floor. Organized child that I was, I would group my candy by
type and color. The bounty of Snickers bars, Smarties, and Dum-dum pops would
sustain my sweet tooth for days.
Nowadays,
I have to purchase my own trick-or-treat candy for those potential ghosts and
goblins that will grace my front porch on Halloween night. I wish I could
attest to being one of the “good houses” with the best candy, but alas, the
alarmingly high price of that “best candy” means we offer mostly off-brand
fare. Nevertheless, we still get to enjoy the antics of trick-or-treaters, even
though we’re a little bit too big to join them. I’m lucky enough to live in a
big, friendly neighborhood with lots of families…which is an even bigger reason
we have to go with the cheaper candy.
There’s
just something really special about Halloween. It’s the only holiday that
occurs during my favorite month. It’s at the perfect time of the year
weather-wise. It’s got candy. And even more important, it’s got that special
combination of mystery, spookiness, and family-time that makes for some
wonderful memories.
Happy
Halloween! May your trick-or-treat bag be filled with Snickers, Milk
Duds, and Skittles and all the other great goodies of the "good houses."
