Old School: Costume Changes

By Carol McEwen,

This was my first Halloween column and a fun one to write, so I decided to run it every year, in honor of my favorite holiday. If you think I’m kidding about makeshift/unsophisticated costumes, check out this photo (below), taken when my friend Linda and I were waaaay too old to be trick-or-treating. But we did it anyway and had a blast! 

When my grandkids were in elementary school, I usually went to their Halloween Parades, using my phone for pictures. I was flabbergasted at the elaborate, expensive costumes I saw there: Darth Vaders, robots, dinosaurs, bejeweled princesses and more. It left me scratching my head and wondering if some of the parents took a second mortgage to pay for the outfits. 

Flashback to 1950’s Halloween in Southern Indiana. Here were the costume choices, Old School style:

1. Ghost. Your mom took the threadbare sheet or the one that got caught in the wringer washer, cut eye holes in it and zig-zagged the bottom with scissors. Your job: say “Boo” and ask for candy.

1. Hobo. You wore one of your dad’s old flannel shirts over your blue jeans. Your mom darkened your cheeks for the unshaven look. You got a stick off the tree out back and tied a stuffed handkerchief on the end of it. Your job: beg for candy.

1. Cowboy/cowgirl. You put on your cowboy boots, strapped on your holster holding your cap gun and put on a cowboy hat. If you really wanted to get fancy, you wore a kerchief around your neck and/or wore a black mask to make you look like a rustler. Your job: say “Stick ‘em up” and ask for candy.
2. Gypsy. You wore your mom’s old prom formal, her slip or her nightgown. You clipped on a pair of hoop earrings, wore a ton of bracelets and your mom rouged you up. To complete the outfit, you wore a kerchief over your head, tied rakishly to one side. Your job: ask for candy with an exotic accent.    

1. Pirate. You put the same kerchief over your head, wore an eye patch and an old white shirt of your dad’s, zig-zagged at the bottom, maybe complemented by a fake sword. Your job: say “Arrgh” and demand candy.  

1. Mummy. Your mom took the sheet you DIDN’T use for the ghost costume, cut it into strips and wrapped you up. This took time, patience and allowed no bathroom trips. Your job: stagger around with your arms outstretched and ask for candy.

Are you starting to see a pattern here?  Yep, Mom was the Wardrobe Manager, while you reaped the benefits. I call that a sweet deal!