Remembering Last Halloween

Last year at this time, a small battle ensued in our household. Our then 11-year-old son was starting to feel that he was too old for Trick or Treating. Say what?! Ummm – no. Mom wants to go; therefore, you will go! (I swear I’d make him trick-or-treat until he turned 40 if I really had any say.)

He wasn’t opposed to getting in costume, he was just feeling older than his years, but when he realized other friends were going, he changed his tune. Nevertheless, I knew this was likely it. My last year chasing behind, a group of rowdy boys decked out in their frightful finery. I’d been trick or treating for over 18 years with my kids, but this was it. The final chapter.

I savored every second of last year’s Halloween night. I took my time traveling up and down Highland Street, trailing far behind my charges. Located in the historic district, almost every house for 3-4 blocks participates by decorating and handing out treats. Hundreds of kids ran up, and down sidewalks, leaves crunching under their feet. The sounds of children’s laughter amidst squeals of delight while adults, some even in costume, weaved around the throngs of little ones. It’s a thing of beauty.

Once Gabe (the son in question) got on board with trick or treating, he went about designing his garb. He decided on a creepy clown. He went through all of my Halloween catalogs but could find nothing satisfactory. So he moved on to my BFF Google and began printing out ideas. Then one day, he came to me and presented his design. It was a combination of three different costumes – none of them store-bought.

Now it was my turn to make it come together. This was the recipe:

Foam clown mask
Spirit gum
Colored contacts
Mini top hat
Jeans
Goth boots
And one essential thing…

He was adamant about having a vintage band jacket. This meant I’d better score one in his size on eBay (unlikely) or get out the sewing machine (even more unlikely). We got lucky and found the perfect one on eBay. I had to fight for it, but we prevailed.

So, here’s to the last trick-or-treat. At least we went out with a bang.