“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 year around. 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, most 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.
