Bin Bags and Bed Sheets
Halloween was not a big deal in our house, you certainly wouldn't have caught our family in matching outfits like the one above.
When we were young, mum would trudge out with us, dressed like... well mum, while Dad hid in the house pretending no one was home. Well I say pretending, but to be fair he didn't really try to hide the fact that he was home as the TV would be on and the lights. He really just choose to ignored anyone knocking at the door, and only pulled himself from his chair, if someone dared to throw eggs, or yell abuse, now that really was a good way to get a fright on Halloween because my dad was not a small man, and one of the things he enjoyed most, was bellowing at kids.
Well any who we were the bin bag ....
and bed sheet family.
although I don't remember our costumes ever looking this good lol. So it was a shock to me to discover that other people especially adults could take Halloween so seriously. When young it had been all about the sweets, and treats, when we became older it all became about running wild in the streets and scaring the hell out of each other. But to me Adults didn't do Halloween their only part in it was to provide the treats, and make dodgy costumes if you were poor, or buy decent ones, if you weren't.
Well decent if you were lucky enough not to have those really embarrassing parents, that had no idea about street-cred.
However, one year a family moved into our street, that didn't do Halloween like the rest of the family's.
This family decorated the house full horror style, and walking up their garden path was a fright a minute. With hidden triggers, for ghosts, and evil laughter, and a garden that was awash with spider webs and decapitated bodies.
Things didn't get better when you got to the door, the parents would come out, dressed in the most horrific costumes we had ever seen, so eerily life like many of the younger kids burst into tears with fight.
But the best of all were their treats, candy apples heads floating in bowls of blood, and marzipan fingers oozing goo, huge gob stopper eyeballs, and so much more.
suddenly Halloween was exciting, and all us kids were rushing home, complaining to our parents about their lack of effort.
I would like to say it changed the Halloween celebrations in every household on our street, but sadly it did not, not even one, and I would like to say that I now went to so much effort when Halloween came around, but I do not.
But I would like to say a big thank you to the family that did on our street, and all the family's that do, because I am sure, just like this family did for me, you are creating memories that will live forever in the minds of many kids, grown up.
I am certain however, that I will forever be one of those people who can see Halloween approaching, but forgets it on the day, and then has to scrabble through the cupboards searching for things, which kids might deem edible, while making silent promises to myself, that next year I'll be more prepared. Yeah right lol.
