DAY 61 - HALLOWEEN

As a Princess, you have to kiss a lot of
Frogs to find your Handsome Prince.

We all know the stories of Halloween – ghosts, goblins, all Hallow’s Eve. But for me Halloween was about having a fun costume and running around the neighborhood with my friends. And growing up in Oakland, California – even 40 years ago – that meant we had to be careful, and there were certain places we just weren’t allowed to go.

   At the end of the evening, usually when our bags were so full we could barely carry them, we would all go back to my house. We’d dump our “stash” on the floor, and Mom & Dad would check it all out – always asking questions about some of the treats. The popcorn ball was always from Rustings. The pack of Wrigleys gum from Ethel. The hard candies that fizzed on the inside from Castinette’s. And Jack’s house always handed out pomegranates – a horrible mess to eat, and so much fun (Mom always hated those things).

One of my earliest Halloweens
with Janae Wright Harker

   Then we would trade. I’ve always hated Butterfingers, and Joey liked them – so he would always get a deal on them. And I’m a big fan of black licorice and Black Jack Gum, so I could always get a great trade on those. Miriam wasn’t much of a trader, but maybe a few things – she mostly got her candy all perfectly organized. And after the trading was done and everyone was sent home, all my “stash” ended up in a bowl on top of the fridge. (A great hiding place when I was little, far less effective now that I’m nearly 6-feet tall.)

   Since Mom always made my lunch, she would put a few of my favorites into my lunchbox each day. And then after school, I would drag a chair over to the fridge and sneak down my bowl and eat the ones I didn’t think Mom would notice were missing – a definite advantage of being a latch-key kid.

   When Dad got home from work, he’d always sneak me a piece or two before Mom got home – under the conditions that we didn’t tell Mom, and that I eat all my dinner. I now realize that he sneaked it for me so he could snag a piece or two for himself too – but I never minded sharing with Dad.

   Because it wasn’t about the candy – it was about the sharing. I loved going to those certain houses and ringing the bell – and knowing what I was going to get. And the oooooo’s and ahhhhhhh’s from the older folks as they commented on our costumes year after year. I loved running around and spending the evening with my friends – and the sharing and trading with them afterward. And I loved sneaking candy from the bowl with Dad – like it was our big secret (although I’m quite sure now that we never pulled anything over on Mom. She was way too smart for that.)

Aren't people who dress up their dogs
for Halloween just ridiculous?

   I still like dressing up for Halloween – and do it almost every year. And the puppies get to dress up too, although they seem far less excited about their costumes. And if I could, I would go Trick-or-Treating. I would walk those same streets, knock on those same doors, gather those same treats.

   It was a wonderful time in my life. And they are memories I still cherish. As the Trick-or-Treaters came around tonight, it was fun to see them in their costumes – but it was even better to see the light in their eyes. I remember feeling those feelings. So if I show up some Halloween Night on your doorstep, holding a bag – just know it’s not the candy I’m after. Just reliving a memory.