All Treats/No Tricks!

Finally the time came to bring out the jack-o-lanterns and the black cats! I always love the addition of my two favorite icons of Halloween. There is something about the grins of those jack-o-lanterns and the arched backs of kitties that really gets me looking forward to the visits of ghouls and goblins. One of my most treasured decorations for Halloween is a superb old black and white photo of my mom, dressed as a witch at about 7 years of age. It sits proudly it my foyer each year. She has always enjoyed All Hallow's Eve it seems.

My mom loved to dress our home's front porch for the holiday. We lived in a house that had an alcove on the front of the house. Our home had a spanish flair to it's exterior, a popular design for it's time. With two arched windows with wrought iron inserts and an arched entry complete with big wooden doors, the alcove was a perfect spot for decorating. You had to step inside the alcove and walk to the front door. Short distance on a sunny day or regular evening, but on Halloween it seemed like an eternity to reach the doorbell. Some kids passed us by altogether.

Early in day, my mom would collect some spanish moss from the trees. Draping it all over those arched windows and doorway created the perfect spooky look. Adding some yellow or orange paper over the lights outside added quite the eerie glow. Carved pumpkins, creepy music and a hanging ghost completed the design. She dressed like a witch and painted her face green. We loved every minute of it....so did she.

We have long since moved from that house. We kids are all grown up. Mom's front porch now does not quite lend itself to the same scarey entry, but she still decorates and has the best candy on the block.

My favorite part of Halloween is really the costumes. Once my girls came along, I could not wait for the costuming to begin. Never really big on the scarey costumes, we opted for odd, unusual ideas...or at least they seemed that way to me! A Leprechaun, the Monopoly Man with a Pair of Dice (love everyone dressing together to create a theme), Rudoplph The Red Nosed Reindeer, and a working Stop Light to name a few. We have always enjoyed coming up with an idea and dreaming up the costume. Quite the feat since I do not sew! Store bought costumes were not a part of their childhood. I hope they didn't mind too much!

Now that the black cats are out, and the jack-o-lanterns are afoot, I know that Halloween is right around the corner. Fall is well underway and soon the turkeys will chase off the cats and pumpkins til next year. Until then, we will enjoy the our frightening felines and candle lit faces and await the tricksters we can bribe with treats.