Halloween

Sometimes I get really disappointed when I realize, I will never be able to go trick-or-treating again. Sure, when I adopt kids someday, I can take them out on Halloween. I can even dress up if I'm that kind of parent. But I can't hold out a pillowcase and get candy. I feel cheated. I want candy in my pillowcase!

So, I'll do what I always do when good times are gone forever; I'll reminisce. The thing about being a kid is, you live for holidays. As soon as the 4th of July was over, this innate Halloween obsession kinda kicked in. Stores may start commercializing a month or so too early, but I was always ahead of them. I spent hours drawing faces so that I could achieve the perfect jack-o-lantern when the time came. I brainstormed costumes until I found the perfect one. And no way would you ever find a Grothe buying a pre-made Spiderman or Belle costume. We were costume snobs. Everything had to be homemade. These are the ones I can remember...I may be missing some.


Picture it: MacGills Common, 1989
It's my first Halloween of trick-or-treating. I am Little Red Riding Hood. I'm wearing a little red jogging suit and a red cape, and my cheeks are super rosy, cause my parents had this thing for applying ridiculous amounts of cosmetics to our faces on Halloween or special occasions. I venture out with my dad to the next-door neighbor's house to find him dressed as a werewolf and (so I'm told) run home scared. Well, we worked past that hurdle, and I was out collecting what would become my annual stash of Tootsie Rolls, Milky Ways, and Twizzlers in no time.
4 years old:
pumpkin
5 years old:
ballerina
6 years old:
baby
8 years old (sorry, what happened to 7):
Indian (interesting)
9 years old:
This one is my personal favorite, the pièce de la résistance. My friend Mandy and I were, jointly, the Magic Carpet. Inspired by Aladdin, we covered cardboard with Persian rug-looking material and attached tassels to the corners. We cut holes in the rug so we could stick our heads through. Wearing black clothing, we thought, would create the illusion that the carpet was flying through the air. We even had a golden genie lamp on the rug. It didn't bother us a bit that no one had a clue what we were; it just gave us a chance to explain it to them.
10 years old:
Pajama Girl (my creativity must've been spent from the last year)
11 and 12 years old:
Renaissance lady (stolen costume from my sister who made it for APMEH)
13 years old:
I was a bat. Then when I got to my friend's house, everyone else was dressed as Wizard of Oz characters and hadn't told me. Oh well.

That was kind of the end until senior year, when my friends and I decided we could go trick-or-treating again. And by this time I didn't have a defined costume. I just wore lots and lots of crazy ridiculous things.

This year I'd like to bring back the tradition of working hard on a creative costume...so, what'll it be?
ideas anyone???

Haha, I was trying to find pictures to go with my various costumes, but instead I found these:



And I just threw that last one in cause it's my cousin's baby a few years ago! His name is Maximilien, and he is awesome.