My brother when he was about 7 as the Red Power Ranger. He's now 20yrs old. (He's the guy in all the Mottahedeh Memo posts.)During an ice breaking event this weekend I learned that Halloween was one of people's favorite holidays! And is it really any wonder? It's a day linked to childhood memories of dressing up, getting free candy, and celebrating in costume. Don't you remember as a kid trying to decide what you wanted to be; preparing weeks, sometimes months, in advance!?
My siblings and I were always encouraged to make our own costumes. From Power Rangers to Tinkerbells, Washing Machines to Robots (Yes, I was a washing machine one year) we always looked forward to Halloween night. I mean, come on, it's a kid's dream! (and a parent's partial nightmare). There's nothing better than collecting mountains and mountains of free candy, especially when you have a metabolism as fast as the Road Runner's.
At the end of our gallivanting we'd dump out our pillow cases on the floor and take stock of our earnings. We'd organize by candy type and then the bargaining would begin; "I'll give you one snack size snickers for 3 tootsie rolls." This would go on for a good half an hour with the occasional uproar when our father would march into the room and announce in his deep voice, "Daddy Tax!"
Daddy Tax was the tax imposed by our father. It was a no questions asked tax that allowed him to take any candy of his choosing without much say from us. "No Dad! Come on, I only have two of those!!!" We could occasionally talk him into a less favored candy, but the butterfingers and snickers were generally the first to go.
Our mother had a Halloween rule when we were younger, which to this day seems genius to me. We could eat as much candy as we wanted the very first night. (Knowing this, we'd make ourselves so sick that night that every night following we were less inclined to even want to chow down.) After Halloween night we were only allowed to choose one item for dessert each day. We learned to ration the good stuff and looked forward to that one special treat at the end of the day. Eventually all the good candy was gone, and the rest was tossed.
Now that I'm an adult (or should be one) and actually try to control my sugar intake, Halloween's appeal has shifted. I'm no longer running from door to door clumsily in a box with holes cut out for my head and arms... Now I'm the one behind the ringing door handing out the Gold! Parties are planned in the home, instead of out in the neighborhood. Movies are watched, dinner get-togethers are had, and socializing involves getting interrupted every few minutes to answer the door for a mix of witches, ghosts, vampires, and cute little baby pumpkins.
This year we have a few "adult" ways to celebrate the occasion IN. Check back all next week for early Halloween ideas. Or click here for a post from last year on our blog - Using Halloween Peeps: CLICK