Halloween as a Kid

Posted to OGR on 10/30/2010

Those of you who know me, know that Halloween is a favorite holiday of mine. When I was a kid, I loved getting all dressed up and terrorizing the neighborhood in search of candies and sweets. Mom was smart enough to ration the sweets so I don’t remember ever getting sick. The loot my brothers, sister and I would last until Christmas. Those were the days before parents had to worry about needles, and razor blades. It truly was a simpler, more innocent time.

Halloween changed when I became a teenager, streaking through the neighborhood as a candy-bag toting banshee gave way to parties at friends and schoolmates homes. Costumes became more sophisticated and quite frankly, a little bit more risqué, especially for the girls. Going to Parochial School, I was used to seeing the girls in my class in uniform every day. When they dressed up for parties, it was mostly poodle skirts, chiffon and lace, ETC. But for Halloween, the naughty side came out for many of the girls. Well, naughty for the late 50s and early 60s is not what it is today. But I can tell you that seeing a girl that I had not seen in anything but a white blouse and a plaid skirt in a harem costume was really something! Remember, this was before Playboy Magazine! Unfortunately for the girls, the guys were not as creative. Most of us dressed up in blue jeans and a white t-shirt with a fake pack of Pall-Malls rolled up in our left sleeve. We tried to comb our hair into DAs but for most of us, the hair was too short. Remember, this was before the Beatles too.

As I got older, I never lost my love for Halloween. Today it is fun to see the trick-or-treaters come by with their parents in tow. I love seeing the neighborhood all decorated up. Sometimes I hide speakers in the yard and provide some not-to-scary sound effects for the kids as they tentatively approach the front door. Yes – even today, I remember that tingly feeling of being excited and just a little bit scared. Oh MY!

Copyright 2010 Rick Wrigley