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YES! Halloween was the BEST! At five we were all allowed to go out with a group of kids. The best house baked home made cookies! They gave everyone three and they were so good! Oatmeal Chocolate Chips. They gave us cups of hot cider too!
No parents were worried that anyone was going to poison us, And moms did not drive slowly beside kids when they trick or treated.
I always loved this time of year! My dad would pile us into the station wagon on the first weekend of October to get pumpkins. He also told great scary ghost stories.
He's dying now. He has MSA (multiple systems atrophy) So, writing this is reminding me of him and all of those Octobers and his great scary stories.
Lol, I just now saw your post after I posted mine. I don't know how old you are, but I grew up in the 70s, and all you heard about at Halloween was to watch out for razor-bladed apples and poisoned candy, lol.
Oh, my gosh, I just read the part about your dad. I'm so sorry, sheena. I'm glad you have those great memories of him.
Halloween has always been my favorite holiday for a bunch of reasons. I love the Fall in general...apples and cider, spices and such. The shuffle of dry leaves. The crisp air.
(In fairness I've got every reason to hate fall, because I have terrible fall allergies and yellowjackets deliberately menace me, the lil buggers...but still I love it.)
I enjoy pumpkin carving but I'm pretty artistic so I have a lot of fun with that. I love the aesthetics. I love "spooky" creatures. I love cemeteries, real and fake. I love Halloween music. When I decorate my yard, I play a huge selection, from some obscure goth artists to the Beetlejuice theme song (a staple!) to pared down versions of Night on Bald Mountain and Phantom of the Opera. I care a great deal more about decorating than I do dressing up.
And ya know, on particularly chilly Halloween nights I've provided a thermal carafe of hot apple cider and some cookies to go with it, and the parents enjoyed it and let their kids do so, too. Trust among neighbors isn't completely dead, although most parents make a show of "no eating the candy until I check it for safety" just because we're told we must. However, two points about that...when the kids are smaller, or if they respect that rule as older ones, you can use it to enforce some limits to their candy intake by making them wait for this "inspection." And point the second, if a kid is old enough to be trick or treating w/no parent, they might just munch it along the way no matter what we think. Good thing the actual danger from tampered items is rather overrated. There's more real danger of cavities from eating candy and then going to bed (make sure the kiddies brush those teeth!!)
One year in WA, and this is a memory my kids will have forever, we had some excellent west coast fog roll in for Halloween night. Our yard was decorated up, and the kids of the neighborhood all decided to be zombies, so there was a whole gang of pint sized undead running amok in the area...my oldest dashed out before I could get a photo but I took this pic of my younger son:
Halloween has always been my favorite holiday for a bunch of reasons. I love the Fall in general...apples and cider, spices and such. The shuffle of dry leaves. The crisp air.
(In fairness I've got every reason to hate fall, because I have terrible fall allergies and yellowjackets deliberately menace me, the lil buggers...but still I love it.)
I enjoy pumpkin carving but I'm pretty artistic so I have a lot of fun with that. I love the aesthetics. I love "spooky" creatures. I love cemeteries, real and fake. I love Halloween music. When I decorate my yard, I play a huge selection, from some obscure goth artists to the Beetlejuice theme song (a staple!) to pared down versions of Night on Bald Mountain and Phantom of the Opera. I care a great deal more about decorating than I do dressing up.
And ya know, on particularly chilly Halloween nights I've provided a thermal carafe of hot apple cider and some cookies to go with it, and the parents enjoyed it and let their kids do so, too. Trust among neighbors isn't completely dead, although most parents make a show of "no eating the candy until I check it for safety" just because we're told we must. However, two points about that...when the kids are smaller, or if they respect that rule as older ones, you can use it to enforce some limits to their candy intake by making them wait for this "inspection." And point the second, if a kid is old enough to be trick or treating w/no parent, they might just munch it along the way no matter what we think. Good thing the actual danger from tampered items is rather overrated. There's more real danger of cavities from eating candy and then going to bed (make sure the kiddies brush those teeth!!)
One year in WA, and this is a memory my kids will have forever, we had some excellent west coast fog roll in for Halloween night. Our yard was decorated up, and the kids of the neighborhood all decided to be zombies, so there was a whole gang of pint sized undead running amok in the area...my oldest dashed out before I could get a photo but I took this pic of my younger son:
Lol! That's another thing! People always love when fall comes around. Fall just makes me depressed, lol. Actually, I can handle it better than I used to. I think it's a throwback to being a kid and when summer was over and you had to go back to school. But I don't like apples and cider and spices, either. Lol. Everyone online is posting about pumpkin-flavored stuff, Starbucks, etc., and I couldn't care less.
As far as the candy, not to mention the blood sugar spikes! It's just such a funny concept, "Here, children, gorge yourselves with all the candy you can possibly collect!"
wow, well, why don't you share, if you want to....but sounds llike there is a terrific story...
At one time, we took a trip to L. A., spoke with both Mickey Dolenz and the late Davy Jones at a hotel. Both very intelligent, funny, interesting, charming.
Then, when we were living on the West Coast, a friend told us Peter Tork was working at a chain restaurant as a singing waiter. I think he mentioned my name and got a funny reaction. Was there ever a place called the Spaghetti Factory? Maybe? That might have been where he was singing.
Somemtime later back East, we saw Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart at a theater and managed to get backstage to say Hi. They remembered us...or were polite enough to pretend they did.
But that's not exactly childhood memories, and this has been a great thread for sparking those memories. I've been digitizing the family photos and so many people here are correct....we had more freedoms many years ago. Playing alone in sandlots until all hours, walking unescorted to school and the stores.
I'm pleasantly surprised by how many happy memories I have. So again, thanks.
One of my brothers gave me all of his old 45 records. He passed away earlier this year. I can't think of any better reminder of him than to have all of his old 45s. He was the one who got me into The Beatles, Kiss, Alice Cooper...
That is so sweet! Sometimes I think nothing sends a person back in time faster than music. As a little kid I hated the Beatles, but I sure do wish I still had the Beatle boots my mom bought me when I was four or five, my first fashion memory, lol.
I can't tell you how many hours my friends and I wasted as pre-teens, burning incense and playing Bye Bye Miss American Pie while trying to decide if we were going to marry Billy Jack or David Cassidy (we were NOT ready for the likes of Alice Cooper).
That is so sweet! Sometimes I think nothing sends a person back in time faster than music. As a little kid I hated the Beatles, but I sure do wish I still had the Beatle boots my mom bought me when I was four or five, my first fashion memory, lol.
I can't tell you how many hours my friends and I wasted as pre-teens, burning incense and playing Bye Bye Miss American Pie while trying to decide if we were going to marry Billy Jack or David Cassidy (we were NOT ready for the likes of Alice Cooper).
this bought a smile and many fond memories also...thank you
I guessby default in the 80's and 90's, this was common, but my family introduced me to wonderful music from all genres.
I still love Steve Winwood's 'Higher Love' and Brenda Russell's 'Piano.in the Dark'
My mom and aunt could COOK! Rarely ate fast food.
Although my mom stressed me out because of her lack of funds, I always had wonderful Christmases.
School breaks were LONG and fun.
Monday night wrestling matches at the coliseum was stressful for me because I would fall asleep during them and before I knew it, my.mom and aunts would startle me to wake up and we would run out like mad women. I think it was to avoid the rush of people leaving out.
I was allowed to cook breakfast for dinner- buttered scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast lathered with more butter. Yum!
I guessby default in the 80's and 90's, this was common, but my family introduced me to wonderful music from all genres.
I still love Steve Winwood's 'Higher Love' and Brenda Russell's 'Piano.in the Dark'
My mom and aunt could COOK! Rarely ate fast food.
Although my mom stressed me out because of her lack of funds, I always had wonderful Christmases.
School breaks were LONG and fun.
Monday night wrestling matches at the coliseum was stressful for me because I would fall asleep during them and before I knew it, my.mom and aunts would startle me to wake up and we would run out like mad women. I think it was to avoid the rush of people leaving out.
I was allowed to cook breakfast for dinner- buttered scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast lathered with more butter. Yum!
very nice, especially enjoyed the diversity your family practiced.
Lol, I just now saw your post after I posted mine. I don't know how old you are, but I grew up in the 70s, and all you heard about at Halloween was to watch out for razor-bladed apples and poisoned candy, lol.
Oh, my gosh, I just read the part about your dad. I'm so sorry, sheena. I'm glad you have those great memories of him.
Thanks SeaIfGrass, I am also thinking that those old 45s are probably the best memento that you could have to remind you of your older brother.
The story about the apple and the razor blades is actually an urban legend that stems from a very different event. A crazy father tampered with his own kidsHalloween candy sometime in the 70s. He was attempting to kill them and collect on the insurance.
I'm gonna guess that you were born between 1965 and 75, A little younger than I am.
What amazes me when I read these is while they are all different, many of our stories have a similar quality.
Many of us loved riding our bikes. Playing in the woods and being outdoors was imortand to so many of us.
Many of today's kids grow up behind a computer screen or playing video games.
I think we had more fun and more freedom.
The tree and forest named streets made me laugh! ALL of the streets in my neighborhood had those names. Oak Hill Dr. Maple Wood Circle. And the subdivision was called "Forest Estates - established 1960" - with a picture of a house and a station wagon parked in front of it and a happy family.
At one time, we took a trip to L. A., spoke with both Mickey Dolenz and the late Davy Jones at a hotel. Both very intelligent, funny, interesting, charming.
Then, when we were living on the West Coast, a friend told us Peter Tork was working at a chain restaurant as a singing waiter. I think he mentioned my name and got a funny reaction. Was there ever a place called the Spaghetti Factory? Maybe? That might have been where he was singing.
Somemtime later back East, we saw Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart at a theater and managed to get backstage to say Hi. They remembered us...or were polite enough to pretend they did.
But that's not exactly childhood memories, and this has been a great thread for sparking those memories. I've been digitizing the family photos and so many people here are correct....we had more freedoms many years ago. Playing alone in sandlots until all hours, walking unescorted to school and the stores.
I'm pleasantly surprised by how many happy memories I have. So again, thanks.
I got to meet "Greg Brady" when I was a kid. He was doing a meet-and-greet-type thing at Toys R Us, lol. He was very friendly.
Yeah, we could be gone all day long as long as we were back by dark.
We also had access to the schoolyard after hours. Our school had this huge field at the back of it. We would fly kites there, ride our bikes through the corridors, play in the playground.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bellflower
That is so sweet! Sometimes I think nothing sends a person back in time faster than music. As a little kid I hated the Beatles, but I sure do wish I still had the Beatle boots my mom bought me when I was four or five, my first fashion memory, lol.
I can't tell you how many hours my friends and I wasted as pre-teens, burning incense and playing Bye Bye Miss American Pie while trying to decide if we were going to marry Billy Jack or David Cassidy (we were NOT ready for the likes of Alice Cooper).
Thanks.
Lol! I have a lot of fashion memories, too. One big one was my treasured forest green faux "fur" coat, lol.
Speaking of marrying, did you ever play Mystery Date? Lol.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KeraKera
I guessby default in the 80's and 90's, this was common, but my family introduced me to wonderful music from all genres.
I still love Steve Winwood's 'Higher Love' and Brenda Russell's 'Piano.in the Dark'
My mom and aunt could COOK! Rarely ate fast food.
Although my mom stressed me out because of her lack of funds, I always had wonderful Christmases.
School breaks were LONG and fun.
Monday night wrestling matches at the coliseum was stressful for me because I would fall asleep during them and before I knew it, my.mom and aunts would startle me to wake up and we would run out like mad women. I think it was to avoid the rush of people leaving out.
I was allowed to cook breakfast for dinner- buttered scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast lathered with more butter. Yum!
Yeah, summer seemed to last forever.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sheena12
Thanks SeaIfGrass, I am also thinking that those old 45s are probably the best memento that you could have to remind you of your older brother.
The story about the apple and the razor blades is actually an urban legend that stems from a very different even. A crazy father tampered with his own kidsHalloween candy sometime in the 70s. He was attempting to kill them and collect on the insurance.
I'm gonna guess that you were born between 1965 and 75, A little younger than I am.
What amazes me when I read these is while there are different, many of our stories have a similar quality.
Many of us loved riding our bikes. Playing in the woods and being outdoors was imortand to so many of us.
Many of today's kids grow up behind a computer screen or playing video games.
I think we had more fun and more freedom.
The tree and forest named streets made me laugh! ALL of the streets in my neighborhood had those names. Oak Hill Dr. Maple Wood Circle. And the subdivision was called "Forest Estates - established 1960" - with a picture of a house and a station wagon parked in front of it and a happy family.
I know the kid who stole the sign. In 1974.
l
Lol, Cedar Street, Maple, Oak...
And, yes, we had the requisite station wagon, two in a row, actually, lol.
Lol at the sign.
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He was the one who got me into The Beatles, Kiss, Alice Cooper... 
