Halloween Memories

Part I
Trick or Treat. But I probably said something like “Trickrtreat” and my brother, Steven and I may added “smell my feet; give me something nice to eat.” I am not sure our older brother, John dared us or if he bragged that was what he was going to say. If anyone of us did, I would not be surprised if the neighbor who answered the door rolled their eyes. I don’t remember going to many houses, so I usually came home with small loot. Living out in the country, we drove to the other farmers’ houses for our trick or treating. I never remember going into Paul or even Rupert or the big city of Burley, Idaho.
And I don’t remember my mom buying us store bought costumes, (hey, farming is risky business) so I had to use my imagination or my mom’s. I am sure she came with my first few costumes, but later I had to come up with my own. I may have dressed up as a hippie once since it was the sixties when I did most of trick or treating. Once, probably 4th or 5th grade, I dressed up as a bride. I don’t remember if I wore a white dress or not, but I used a fancy lacy double layered white half-slip as the veil. (Now, my niece, Tracina, knows why her toddler wore undies on her head once. Bella got the idea from me.). I vaguely remember some smart aleck male classmate making a comment about wearing a slip on your head. At the time I was mortified by the comment, but now I have to laugh. Hopefully, my young nieces have more class than I did. But at least I was creative and thought outside the box. Do I regret not ever having a store bought costume? No. I doubt I would have much, if any memories of my childhood Halloween adventures.

Part II
It wasn’t until after attending Ricks College and moving back to Salt Lake that I started to get in the spirit of Halloween again. I probably walked down to 4th South and 9th East to Safeway’s and bought a bag of candy. I probably had to buy a second bag because I ate the first bag before Halloween night. There were a few knocks on the door, which was a surprise because I lived in a 20 plus unit apartment building and went to a singles student ward at the Institute of Religion. The neighbors along 6th South did not know me. Even when I moved to the Avenues, I would get one or two groups of trick or treaters. After I finished at Utah, I moved south and lived at the Cherry Hill Apartments, a four building complex. Since I would take my adopted nephews trick or treating, I would leave a small or medium sized basket outside my door. When I came back, the empty basket would be waiting for me. I don’t how many trick or treaters came to my door or if it was just the neighbor children at the end of my building. When my brothers and I lived at Woodside, some neighbor children would always managed to knock on the door. One year Jay left the porch light off and no one came. I gave him grief. Since moving to our condo, no one, not even ward members with children, knock on the door. Most people now Trunk or Treat in the ward parking lot or take their little ones to neighbors who live in single unit housing. Apartments and condo complexes have the reputation of being occupied with strangers. I quit buying multiple bags of candy (except for maybe the office). Last year, Jay walked to FreshMarket and bought a bag of Tootsie Pops and Rolls. No one came, but we enjoyed the leftovers.

Part III
In my last semester at Utah, I began the tradition of taking my adopted nephews, the Pugh Brothers, trick or treating in their neighborhood. My first time included Steven, Kevin and two year old Darren. Steven took me on a whirlwind tour of the neighborhood. I swear he took us down one street twice, those neighbors looked mighty familiar. In fact one of them said something about seeing us before. Needless to say, I was worn out when we got back to the house. I was convinced Steven tried to break a world record. Kevin was able to keep with Steven, but I was challenged. I was carrying Darren, a heavy toddler. While Darren was silent most of the night, Kevin knew to say “Trick or Treat” when a neighbor presented a bowl of candy. But Darren wasn’t clueless when he got home. He had a look of pure delight while enjoying the fruits (candy) of his first loot. Steven probably stashed his loot in his room after enjoying a good share of his loot. Kevin probably did the same. I can’t remember if this was the only year that Steven went trick or treating with me. Mark joined Kevin and Darren after a year or two. And Jared and Crystal were probably 15 months old when they went Trick or Treating their first times. Not sure if either made it to the Jensen’s or not. I think Val was disappointed that she did not get to see Baby Batboy or the small scarecrow girl. Both only lasted 2 or 3 houses before they wanted their mom. Val would always give me a treat when I brought the Pugh children around. After awhile it was just Crystal and her best friend forever, Whitney that would go with me. When I moved to the condo, Crystal was providing her own Halloween entertainment. She like her brothers outgrew me. (When Johnny Jensen, the Pugh neighbor saw Whitney and Crystal in the above costumes, he kept telling them that he was going to eat them. By the end of the the everning I was calling them Chicken Soup and Rabbit Stew.) But I still have fond memories of trick or treating with the Pugh children. One year, Darren was sick, so I took a plastic sack and got him some treats. When we got home, David came home with another bag of candy for Darren. Between the two of us, Darren hit the mother lode. One year, Mark and Jared, (and maybe Darren) went to Fashion Place Mall after we went thru the neighborhood. I wasn’t too impressed with the penny candy we got and the long lines, so that tradition ended. We may have tried a different mall next year or tried it at an earlier time. As the years went by, there was less children trick or treating in the Pugh’s and my neighborhoods. Most likely, the neighborhoods were growing up and maybe it’s the annual Trunk and Treat that gets more popular as times goes by.