Sweet childhood memories of Halloween

I always loved Halloween as a child. I can remember excitedly picking out my costume every year. Uusally I was a gypsy girl, rummaging through my mother's closets to find those 70's skirts and tops all colorful and oh so loud (smiling here) with a headscarf and lots of dangly jewelry and chunky bracelets that were so popular...the gypsy girl is still my style today I suppose as I do love long flowy skirts and bangles even now! :) But I vividly remember one year I was Raggedy Ann and I have always loved her! I still have a fond place for her in my heart, even now as an adult. When I think back on those young years I can remember that I adored the times in elementary school when I would get to assist the teacher with changing the bulletin board in the classroom--it was such a treat and I felt so special to be selected to help...maybe it was because I was trusted with a stapler! LOL But whatever it was, I can still remember the times I was stapling away the fall leaves or the feathers on the turkey for fall-time. Isn't it funny the things that make you smile from your childhood?

On Halloween day, or the Friday before if it fell on a weekend, we would bring sweets and treats for our classroom "party" and listen to scary stories on records (oh dear...dating myself there a bit, aren't I?) while we did a Halloween craft project at our little party. On Halloween night, I went with a friend trick-or-treating (usually a neighborhood girl that I played with all the time after school) and our moms would trail behind us as we went door-to-door. Of course, I remember how happy my dad was when I got home with a bag of candy, too, ha-ha. I clearly remember he stole all the "Mary Janes" from the bag, his favorite. (Do they even make those candies anymore?)



celebrating-halloween.com

Halloween never was a scary time for me although I can remember the paper skeletons blowing in the breeze that people would hang on their porches, the glow of carved pumpkins sitting on porches, & the crunch of leaves under our feet and we skipped along giggling and enjoying our fun. I suppose Halloween isn't quite the same for children nowadays as parents have to be so careful and watchful...taking their children only to houses where they know the owners. But I think it could still be fun, perhaps having a "safe" Halloween party at your home for your children and a few of their friends! Oh, the sweet and delightful Halloween ideas you could prepare and fun games for the children! I hope I have that opportunity one day! But I am sad at Halloween now because I go to a church that has deemed Halloween the "devil's day" or something similiar and "oh so sinister" and they don't celebrate "Halloween", but rather have a "fall festival". I suppose it can be fun for the children as they still get Halloween candy and play games, but I just don't see the evil in Halloween. Of course, on a funny note, my husband told me early on that there was one day out of the year that I was guaranteed I would never have to cook and would get a dinner out.....Halloween night! He hates handing candy out to the kids! :) Well, heck, mama didn't raise no fool, I'll take a free dinner out any time!

I stumbled upon this website and thought it looked like fun!

CLICK HERE FOR THE WEBSITE: celebrating halloween website