Halloween comes ONCE AND YEAR and am I ever glad about that. If I look back in time, I recall that this was one night I simply loved. Out with my friends dressed up........in old clothes we had hanging around the house.........none of this store bought stuff, ........ running from one house to another with our paper bag, old pillowcase or just any bucket we could find, collecting any kind of candy, apple, cupcakes, cookies or even pennies anything that one could scratch up at that moment, just to keep us from ringing the bell and running away. As time went by things were constantly changing. I reached an age where it was parties and scavenger hunts in groups, then onto adult hood, where we would become more sophisticated in out outfits but still the party's instead of the running around. Finally, the time came when I found myself taking my kids out and standing at the end of the driveways with other fathers or mothers that were leading their kids around........checking the candy wrappers to make sure they were securely sealed before we let the kids have it and then checking the apples for razor blades or any marks not known to apples. We would not let them eat cookies or anything that looked like it was home baked for fear of them containing drugs or other STUFF. Finally, we even sent our drug sniffing dog out with them with an old tee shirt of mine on and fake rabbit ears, even the dog felt embarrassed but she sniffed everything in their store bought little pumpkin. Oh, what proud parents we were. Margot would end up sewing their little costumes from odds and ends from around the house. I even started a new trend around our neighborhood where I would follow the kids and the dog to the door and wait until all the kids got their stuff and the dog sniffed it all.........then I politely ..........handed them my shot-glass for them to fill up with something to keep me warm.........or as in the case of Seattle..........DRY!!!! soon it didn't even bother me that I had not had dinner yet and had to traipse around the neighborhood for two hours. I was HAPPY ..........to be doing it.
Then came the time when ..........those little kids, I use to walk around the neighborhood............became ME in disguise taking their little kids around , OH what a joy for grandparents. Watching our little Batman and Robin running from one house to another, Each year another NEW costume secretly developed two months prior to outdo any of the neighbors kids. Now....... I find myself occasionally just shutting off the outside light.....and any light that would be seen outside and sit in the dark reading the paper.......makes me feel like the days of Abraham Lincoln reading to candle light..................making sure no........little monsters come up to my door and want me to share MY COOKIES OR CANDY WITH THEM.
Nowadays, Halloween ideas start sprouting up in August, Thanksgiving ideas middle of October and it seems Margot starts thinking about Christmas at our July 4th celebration with gift ideas and even shopping trips.
Growing up, My parents had a Christmas Club account at the local bank that they got the beginning of December. It was similar to a savings account that even paid some interest if I am correct. My Dad would faithfully deposit his extra change, usually about two bucks a week into this account so that MY Christmas wishes could be fulfilled.......thinking back........we didn't have credit cards. This was the only money they had for presents.......BUT I ALWAYS GOT WHAT I WISHED FOR........ Christmas eve my dad would go out to buy the Christmas Tree. I could never figure why he waited so long but as I aged I discovered that Christmas eve, the guy selling the trees would either close up early and leave whatever trees were left over or would give them away for practically nothing. The tree always got decorated by Mom and Dad after I was in bed. Dad would leave his empty dinner plate next to the tree to........PROVE.....Santa and his reindeers were there, ate the food and left ......JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED......under the tree. Guess it was about the time I entered HIGH SCHOOL.........when I figured out .............this was just a rouse. Never saw any reindeer droppings inside or outside the house.
Anyway, long story short here is a little video of celebrating Halloween in Italy. ENJOY!!!!!!! (HOW DID WE EVER GET OFF THE SUBJECT OF HALLOWEEN- TO CHRISTMAS!!)
Here's another video you make get a kick out of.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQB9X1n-BF8&feature=player_embedded
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