It's Halloween, the lamps are lit
And round the fire the children sit
Telling ghost tales bit by bit
'Til sister Jane says, "Shush!"
Who's that creeping cross the kitchen floor?
Who's that peeking round the bedroom door?
Who's that SCREECHING like his throat is sore?
It's a GOBLIN!
There is nothing like a Halloween in Canada! Though parties for the big kids, aka adults, are becoming more popular, Halloween remains, for the most part, a children's festival. Costumes have to be both fashionable and endurable. They have to fit over snowsuits and galoshes. They have to maintain their integrity in some of the wildest winds and torrential rains. Past years have brought rain and wind, cold and snow, and on occasion, even a balmy evening.
 |
| Halloween 1987 |
This year's trick or treating weather is looking to be cold, wet and wild with flurries possible in the higher elevations. Some locales have postponed the spooky night until tomorrow when things are said to be calmer. Seriously? Come on people! This is Canada. We're tough. We rise to any occasion!
My preferred characters for Trick or Treating were pirates, gypsies, and tramps (no thieves - lol), and the outfits were cobbled together from stuff in the house an hour or so before heading out. My mother was no seamstress. Her needle skills topped out at darning socks. But what that woman could do with burnt cork, baby powder, and red lipstick was astounding, at least to me. She also had that big jar of Pond's cold cream for getting all the stuff off afterward.
 |
| Halloween 1960(?) Me - the one and only year I had a store-bought costume |
My mother's #1 specialty at Halloween, at any time actually, was conjured up in the kitchen. She made popcorn balls - rounds of white popcorn held together by molasses syrup boiled to the hard crack stage. With buttered hands, Mom quickly assembled the hardball sized treats. The hot syrup always burned her hands no matter how fast she worked.
 |
| My kitchen treats |
Gone now are such delectables, even the apples and peanuts are absent from the treat bag. We've all had to buy into the commercial brands. There will be very few pirates and tramps out tonight and it's been a very long time since I've heard anyone utter my childhood chant,
"Shell out! Shell out! The witches are out!"
And who can forget "Monster Mash" by Bobby (Boris) Pickett and Crypt-Kickers?!
Be safe out there, and have a "Spook-tacular" time.
 |
| image credit: Meanwhile in Canada |
©2019 April Hoeller
Loved the trip down memory lane. Rare was the store-bought costume for my kids. Even birthday parties were held in our home, themed by the kids and we worked together to realize that theme. And your mom was one up on me -- not a darned sock to be seen in my hands. But still, the magic of masking tape and staplers seems sufficient. As always, April, you tickle my brain with your musings.
ReplyDelete