The Ghost of Halloween Past

O Judah, you lucky lucky boy. (I know, I keep saying that!)

My nurturing little cop with his new favorite toy--his baby stroller!

You had your first real trick-or-treating experience this year, complete with fancy store-bought costume! I hate to keep harping on this, but when I was a kid, I NEVER got to go trick-or-treating (except once in 3rd grade) and I certainly NEVER got to have a store-bought costume.

(Side note--I realize these posts are making it sound like I grew up in some kind of Dickensian poverty. Let me just state for the record--that was totally not the case. We were solidly upper middle-class, nice suburb, great school districts, green lawns and minivans, etc. It's just that my parents had a certain parenting philosophy...that...well, let's just leave it at that.)

I was that sad kid at the back of the Halloween Parade at school that teachers felt sorry for. Bless Mrs. Cole's heart. In 2nd Grade she let me hold the tail of her dragon costume so I could participate without looking quite so...pathetic.

But the truth is, I did have a costume that year.  I woke up that morning and there was a costume waiting for me in the living room.  It was a brown grocery bag with arm-holes and a neck-hole cut out and aluminum foil balls stuck all over it.  It was home-made and I decided I'd rather not have a costume than wear that 'thing' and possibly die of embarassment.

Trick-or-treating with our lovely little ladybug neighbor.

Next to my home-made costume was one exactly like it, sized a little bigger, for my brother. He had stayed up that night to make them for us. I always feel a pang of guilt thinking back on how disdainful I was of his really generous and thoughtful handiwork. In my defense, I was 7! I wanted to be something pink and purple and lovely!

"What is this?" I remember saying "Am I supposed to be a garbage can?!"

"It's a robot," my brother said.

I said something sarcastic and disparaging and trudged off to school without my 'robot' costume.

Argh, looks like this cop lost his cop belt, billy-club and badge along the way.  Oh well.

Oh how I treasure the memory of that sad costume now.

What a cute couple...but what's with the Oliver Twist face?  Please sir, can I have some more...candy?

I guess I was a lucky lucky kid too, in my own way.