Halloween as Wish Fulfillment

Growing up in a preacher's home, my favorite holidays were, of course, Christmas and Halloween. Yes, you heard me right. At Christmas, all the loveliness of the Jesus story was out there for the world to see, and everything surrounding the season was a joy to me--family, food, decorations, and of course, presents.

But Halloween meant I could become, for a short time, someone other than myself. Someone who wan't a nerd, or shy, or gawky. Understand...I was growing up just previous to the Satanism hype (no goats being sacrificed in our neighborhood, believe you me!), and the darker, more sinister meanings of the holiday just hadn't penetrated down to small town churches in Wisconsin.

 All my early Halloweens were spent dressed as a Princess. A Princess could wear makeup, could wear a pretty long dress and mince around looking important and self-confident. A Princess could even be too tall for her age...that was OK for a Princess, because her dad was the Boss of the World. You haters could just go on hatin', 'cause I was gonna be a really tall Princess.

Then one day I decided I was too old to be a Princess, so for our church's annual Halloween party (you heard that right--we DID that back then!) I decided to go as someone sultry, mysterious and just a little frightening. Yep. I was "Dracula's girlfriend/Mrs. Frankenstein/Zombie Woman" (or something). Just whatever is the opposite of Quiet Reserved Pastor's Kid.

Yes, I'm amazing. 

I know this must seem scandalous to you all, but I have more shocking dirt to dish--at that same party, I have photographic evidence to prove that my father (the Baptist preacher) came as a priest (collar backwards!), my mother as a Hindu woman, and my little brother as a girl. Oh, a Freudian psychologist would have had a field day with all this if we would only pay him lots of money and show up to his office for several months.

But we didn't need to. We had games to play at this church party; activities our family has lovingly labeled "Games for Sexually Repressed Christians." Let's see--we could play "Electricity" (holding hands! squeezing fingers!); Pass the Orange Under the Chin Relay (chest to chest action!); Pass the Life Saver on the Toothpick from Mouth to Mouth (almost kissing!!!!). Is it any wonder the church basement was packed?

A brief aside...there was one odd year when I came to a College Age party at the church as "Candy Barr." I think there may have been patterned stockings involved...I'm not sure how I got safely out of the house that time without parental interference.

Then there was the Halloween I was the Hippie my parents wouldn't let me be for real. Although I had to go through a gender change to really give it the "umph" it needed (see photo). Despite being a teenager in the '70's my experience with actual Hippie culture was pretty much limited to sneaking over to a friend's house for a dip into the forbidden John Denver and Monkees pool. I'm afraid I could even be elected President  safely, because I never inhaled ANYTHING. This costume was definitely a flight from reality for me.

And need I mention that we went Trick or Treating every year, as well, until I got sick of people asking me "aren't you a little old for this?"

I suppose this is where I should bemoan what Halloween has become-- kids being shunted off from Trick-or-Treating and silly parties in the church basement to "Autumn Festivals" held in community centers where they have to come dressed up as in a costume from This Year's Approved List of Optimal Educational Characters. I won't, though, because I promised to be non-cranky. I just get my bowl of candy and sit by my door every October 31st and hope some princesses and Dracula's wives show up. I'll only be cranky if you show up with no costume and a pillowcase. THOSE kids make me ornery!

And this year...I'm dressing up as a Highly Paid and Successful Blogger.