Deciding on the costume was oh so important back then. My family was not big into buying the plastic mask/costume ensemble for two reasons.....they just were not cool enough and it was impossible to let your inner Halloween star shine when you were one of ten identically dressed Cinderellas. (Although my dad would probably argue that it being a waste of money was the reason we skipped the Ben Franklin Halloween aisle.) So most years we dug through boxes of old clothes, ransacked my mom's cosmetics, and dyed sheets for our costumes. Sometimes the results were spectacular....sometimes you just donned the thing to get free candy. But in any case, your costume was unique, it was your own personal work of art, and you did not feel bad if you didn't get the fancy store bought costume like some of the other kids had.
I miss the days of not having to worry if your child's costume was politically correct or offensive. Remember dressing up as a hobo? You have to wonder if the reason this costume is extinct is because the PC name for hobo is "homeless" and with our dreadful economy this is no longer a funny outfit. Same thing goes for dressing up as cowboys and Native Americans--just doesn't have the same ring to it but by golly it is PC! What boggles the mind is why we are so steadfast in keeping up morally upstanding appearances for the kids, when a great many adult costumes seem to promote overt sexuality and most definitely are not PC. Flirty Sailor or Naughty Nurse anyone? Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against losing yourself in a fantasy and channeling your inner prostitute or sexy alter ego for fun, but I long for the days when kids were free to roam their neighborhoods unsupervised with or without a mask, sticking out their pillowcase and shouting "Trick or Treat" then running home to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Ahhhh, those really were the good ole days.
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