Halloween, Homewood-style
Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 4:52PM
If you spend any time around our house during October, you'll quickly discover that Halloween is My Kind of Holiday. I grew up in the Midwest where blustery/brisk autumn evenings provided the perfect backdrop for trick-or-treating. And this was often a family event.
Yep, we trick-or-treated together. My parents, at the door on their knees with their trick-or-treat bags in hand. Wait, I just remembered that we all carried pillow cases/how cool is that? They also hosted Very Spooky Parties in our basement. Which was a pretty scary place without any decorations. These were really terrific events. People still comment on those Halloween parties.
Bear in mind that I grew up on the south side of Chicago. Our costumes? Not too PC today. Geez, we didn't even know what PC WAS back then. We dressed up as, get this, Black People and Chinese Folks. OMGOSH WHAT WERE WE THINKING? I hate to even admit this. But there we were with cold cream and burned corks smearing blackness over our faces OR stretching nylons over our heads then tugging at the top to create the perfect look. How embarrassing is this? Terrible. But that was life back then. In Homewood, Illinois.
Here is my childhood friend's Homewood Halloween memory: Dr. Jensen lived on our street and he felt that handing out candy was unhealthy. Each kid at his door was given a glass of milk to drink while he stood there to make sure we drank it. We trick or treated in groups and one group would yell to the next group NOT to stop at Dr. Jensen’s. The next year we avoided his house altogether.
How much fun was that, Joan? A LOT.
Lois
From Kathi:
Lois, loved the blog today. Lots of laughs. I can picture your mom and dad on their knees with their bags. This explains a lot about your great sense of humor. I loved the Dr. Jensen story as well. I am still laughing about that one. Health nut mom that I am/ was, I passed out raisenettes some years, McDonald's ice cream certificates and other tries at healthier snacks. My kids were not proud!
Kath, nor were mine. Particularly when I distributed a list of Alternatives to Candy to our neighbors. My kids Could Not Figure Out why that was such a Loser Year in terms of treats. Once was enough, even for me!
Alternatively, our kids ate whatever they wanted on Halloween and then we/or the Halloween Witch/ traded tiny Lego sets for the rest. Limiting the length of overconsumption was key to my sanity and their sugar-saturated highs.
Reader Comments (2)
Hey.....thanks for reminding me of the PILLOWCASES!!!! Indeed, we used those in central Illinois, as well....the good ol' days, I guess.................I remember going home to EMPTY the filled pillowcase so that I could continue my route and fill up yet ANOTHER pillowcase..........with candy, no milk.
AND no need for individually wrapped candies, or a ban on homemade items, or a need to check apples or other gleanings for dangerous objects. AND no worry about being accosted along the way, just zillions of groups of kids out having a great time, tripping over themselves in the dark, and returning home exhausted to sit on the living room floor with our PILES of loot spread before us.
BOO on someone handing out MILK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SOCIAL NOTE: no PC in central Illinois, either................lived in a county that did not ALLOW black folks to live in it, so none of us even knew a 'person of color'; and our high school masco ?t.............CHINK...we were the PEKIN CHINKS!! Guess what? The high school is now the PEKIN DRAGONS. Times do change. Oh, let's not leave out the fact that I was the PEKIN CHINKLETTE my senior year.............an HONOR to be selected to this post, as it was for a guy to be the PEKIN CHINK............we dressed in Chinese embroidered tunics and white silk pants, wore a peasant hat...forget the name....and greeted the captain of the cheerleaders of the opposing team before each basket ball game, lights out except for spots on us, shuffled to mid court holding hands with index finger extended, bowed, welcomed the other team, and everyone cheered. EVERY home game.
def: 'POLITICALLY CORRECT'....none existant in the fifties and early sixties, never heard of it
The Anderson house on Laburnum, in Lindenwood was ALWAYS the place to go on Halloween night. Scary witch Lois in your rocking chair and the whole Anderson family making all the trick or treaters want to come back for more. Your house is still the talk of our family (our trick or treaters are in their 30's) and since you left Lindenwood, there has never been another Halloween so fun and a house that even comes close to yours. Now I understand... IT IS GENETIC and I won't feel so guilty any more!!!