“What
was Halloween like when you were a little girl in the 1950’s?” My grandchildren
may ask. Many of the traditions were the same as today, but several have
changed, some a lot.
When
I was growing up, many of our neighbors made homemade treats like popcorn balls
and cookies which we ate without fear. There wasn’t such a thing as mini candy
bars. However, not everyone gave out the big ones. Taffy, small Tootsie Rolls,
and sticks of gum were popular. I remember peanut butter flavored taffy with a
bit of dried out peanut butter inside was at the bottom of my desirable list.
Do they still make that stuff? They did when my children trick or treated. I
traded that away 2, 3, or more to one, so did my children.
I
used paper grocery bags to put my candy in. Greedy children sometimes used a
pillow case. I went with friends in their neighborhoods. We only had one old
lady about a block away. The rest of the neighborhood had summer cabins or
empty lots except one couple that came up for summers only.
My
mom made me fantastic costumes, some of which had another purpose. My Alice in
Wonderland dress was suitable for school without the apron, of course. Then
there was the year I had panda pajamas, but I didn’t wear the hat with ears to
bed. My children scrounged whatever they could find in our costume bag. Trick
or Treating is still the same when children go house to house. No such thing as
Trunk or Treat back then.
Tricks
were still done on occasion like soaping windows or other mischief, nothing
damaging. Some of the older boys in our small mountain village found an
outhouse to put in the middle of the main cross roads every year. I’m sure my
brothers took part in that tradition when they were teens. The one that was 5
years older complained about how hard it was to find abandoned outhouses.
Halloween
is a fun holiday that brings fond memories as long as things don’t get out of
hand.
