The Halloween Costume I'll Never Forget - 10/29/08

The good news is: Halloween’s on a Friday. The bad news is: Halloween’s on a Friday. My kids are thrilled at the prospect of trick or treating on a weekend (thankfully no early soccer game for us on Saturday). Unfortunately, this also means that Hanover’s high-spirited teens (unintentional pun) will also have a later curfew. Hopefully, we’ll curtail our candy begging early enough to avoid any unidentified flying eggs or toilet paper.

Ah, Halloween. Or as I like to think of it, the unofficial start of the holiday weight-gaining season. I actually think my kids enjoy Halloween more than Christmas. Christmas presents are ripped open within minutes, but trick or treating takes hours and the candy can last for months (or until I can distract them, then foist it on my husband’s co-workers). My boys start planning their costumes in June. Knowing full well that they will change their minds a half dozen times before October, I wait until just before the iParty coupon is due to expire before committing to a final outfit.

It’s funny to see the progression of their costumes over the years. Chronologically they have been Elmo, a dinosaur, a robot, a firefighter, another robot, Harry Potter, Star Wars characters and an anime hero. This year my 10-year old will keep it simple with a “Friday the 13th” style hockey mask, machete-glove and pirate hook. Precious. Smile for the camera sweetie, we need to capture this proud moment.

When asked which costume was my favorite as a child, my children were horrified to learn that I once went out as a pack of cigarettes. My father made the costume, painting a large box to look exactly like a pack of Tareyton’s, complete with a red stripe down the front, the Surgeon General’s warning on the side and tinfoil on the top (with a special flap that allowed my head to poke through.) My dad even crafted a long, fake cigarette for me to carry. Mom smeared black under my eye to tie in with the ad campaign at the time (“Tareyton…I’d rather fight than switch.”) And the response? People loved it. Everyone commented on how clever my costume was, how innovative. I was so enamored; I wore it two years in a row.

Today’s parents would probably be appalled to see a child trick or treating as a pack of smokes. But is it really any worse than killer clowns, flesh eating zombies or the Grim Reaper? (Not to mention those political masks; now those are scary.) Looking back, I loved my cigarette costume for many reasons: It was unique. No one else had one. Best of all, it was made especially for me. My dad, not one to express his feelings in words, was able to show his love by creating a costume that still makes me smile 35 years later.

Happy Halloween!