Halloween reminds me of a story. When my son was 3 years old, we lived in a large family apartment complex - some 285 units. The complex had social events for almost all holidays - adults and children alike. I was involved with the children's activities. We had a Halloween party for the children and after the party, they were excorted by moms and dads to all the apartments to trick or treat. When they rang doorbells, the porch light was lit, the door opened and treats were offered. Some of the tenants dressed up for this occasion which made it lots of fun. When my son rang the doorbell of one of our neighbors, she answered the door in her witch costume and let out a crackley, "Who is it?" She then slammed open the front door and asked in a witchy voice, "Who is this young man?" and cackled. She acted her part so perfectly that my son thought she was real and ran as fast as he could home. I had trouble keeping up with him. He was frightened and crying. I had no idea he would react this way. When I told him that our neighbor was acting (in reality, she acted in many Hollywood films), my son didn't believe me so I took him back to her front door the following day struggling to get him there. She answered the door without costume, in normal clothes and spoke to him telling him she was an actress and was only acting the part. He was still frightened and could hardy wait to get away from her door. For several years after, he thought she was a real scary witch and stayed away from her area.
As a child, can you remember what impressed you the most about Halloween?
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2 comments:
Great question, Marnie. During the polio epidemic the little town near the cattle ranch of my youth asked that no one give out candy. Instead, all of the children went door to door collecting money for the fight against polio. Afterwards, the town hosted a simple party at the American Legion Hall.
Many of my students over the years have asked for a can for the food bank and then happily grabbed candy... All I remember from my youth is shlepping my little sister around the neighborhood.
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