I think Halloween is fantastic! I really do. I love the costumes, the creativity, the decorations… pretty much everything but the scary stuff (and even that I can handle in small, small doses). I haven’t always had this love for Halloween. In fact, my feelings towards All Hallow’s Eve has pretty much been all across the spectrum, from the attitude of I get to dress up AND people give me candy?! Halloween should be EVERY day! when I was little to there’s nothing to do on this lame holiday; I’m just going to study for my AP test in high school, to seeing it as an opportunity to challenge my frugality. Let’s take a look at my 25 years of Halloween. Note: I come from a family that DID NOT take pictures… like ever. So there are very few photos the first 18 years. Furthermore, many photos are scanned, so forgive the poor quality.
Halloween 1987- The consensus between my parents is that I was exempt from costumes that year, seeing as how I was 3 months old.
Halloween 1988- I have been informed that I was a bean sprout. I believe my grandma made the costume. Why a bean sprout? I have no idea.
Halloween 1989- Being only two years old that year, I have absolutely no idea what I was that year nor does my mom. This is why you take pictures, people!
Halloween 1990- I believe I was an angel that year. Although it really doesn’t matter what I was because it flippin’ snowed that year and my costume was hidden under a ginormous winter coat. Also, I can finally show a picture!
Ok… so maybe it’s not from Halloween per say, (it’s our “Joy School” nativity performance) but you get the gist of what I wore. That’s me, second kid from the left.
Halloween 1991- At this point I was in my all things girly, sparkly, and pink phase. Therefore, I was princess. As you can see, my costume is in deed girly, sparkly, and oh so pink.
The cute kitty in the picture next to me is McKenzie, my next-door neighbor at the time.
Halloween 1992- My first year as something “spooky.” I was a witch that year. At the time I thought I was pretty scary. Now I think back on it and realize I was probably far scarier the next morning having gotten little sleep and lots of candy. Side note, I’m mad because I KNOW there is a picture somewhere from this year. The photo is of my dad, my little sister, and me. My little sister had inherited the bean sprout costume that year.
Halloween 1993- Halloween 1993 was actually kind of a big deal. My friend Tess and I got the idea (in the summer, I think) that we wanted to do a “Spook Alley” in my legitimately frightening unfinished basement. We drew pictures of ghosts with blood dripping from their eyes and other such terrifying images. My parents were actually really cool about it and made what probably would have been a sad, sorry flop into a neighborhood event.
When the kids came, my mom lead them to our basement letting them feel the “eyeballs” and “brains” (peeled grapes and cooked spaghetti noodles, respectively). My dad was in one of the rooms howling and moaning. I was around the corner, in my devil costume, to scare them as they left. I’m sure there was more, but that’s all I can remember. I do remember feeling extremely cool because no one else had a haunted house in their basement.
Oh, and one more thing! My dad had an old mechanic suit that we stuffed with newspaper. For a head we gave it one of those reaper masks. We named the creation “Butch.” During the “off-season” (November-September) he sat in our basement, making our already creepy basement creepier. I remember lying awake at nights scared that Butch was going to walk up the stairs and find me.
Tess, left. Me, right. Don’t really know what’s going on with my penciled in eyebrows…
Halloween 1994- This was the first and only year I ever got a store bought costume. I was Snow White. I remember thinking how cool it was that I got to wear a wig and feeling sorry for the other Snow Whites at school who didn’t get a sweet wig.
Look at me… I’m practically glowing with pride about that wig! I’m pretty sure that it was a standard witch’s wig, but my mom cut and curled it, somehow making it work (kind of) for Snow White.
Halloween 1995- From 1994-1996 I went through a cat lover phase. The ironic part about that phase, I somehow was able to convince my dad, er, I mean Santa to bring me a kitten, only to discover I was actually kind of afraid of kittens. Anyway, 1995 was the year of the black cat.
Halloween 1996- I was a poodle girl… except, being in the cat loving phase that I was, instead of a poodle on my poodle skirt, there were two cats. Was I still considered a poodle girl with that adaptation, I wonder?
Halloween 1997- One of my more comfortable years. I was a tourist. Black leggings, Hawaiian shirt, shell necklaces, leis, a camera, and a big straw hat. This year was also my first encounter with a streaker. At the time he seemed like an adult, but looking back, he was probably just in his late teens or early twenties. I remember I was so disturbed by the experience, that I was done trick or treating and wanted to go home soon after.
Halloween 1998- I was a gypsie. Nothing significant to report.
Halloween 1999- Alas! My final year trick or treating! I went as a waif. My mom rented an awesome vintage skirt for me- sort of a petticoat type thing. I remember I stepped on it going up a stair, ripping part of the hem, while trick or treating and fretting the whole night about it. I told my mom, bracing myself for a lecture, but she just said, “Oh, I can just fix that!” I was simultaneously grateful she was so cool about it and annoyed because I could have had a lot more fun that night if I knew she could fix it.
Halloween 2001- Absolutely no recollection. Pretty sure the “Halloween is dumb” attitude started somewhere around here.
Halloween 2002- I had a volleyball game that day. It was the last game of the season and my friend, Meg scored the final point, giving us the victory. An achievement that was made all the more glorious on account of, well, our team sort of sucked and to come off conqueror after such a close game made it that much sweeter. I know that’s not exactly Halloweenish, but whatever.
Halloween 2003- Again, no recollection. I probably just studied for exams. Actually, come to think of it, this might have been the year I went with a group of friends to a Haunted House (not on the actual Halloween Day). I remember being in a hurry and not able to find a clean camisole, so I just threw on a pink tee shirt. That turned out to be a HUGE mistake as the white bra I was wearing underneath was totally glowing through when we got to the black light portion of the haunted house. Ugh. So embarrassing!
Halloween 2004- I remember I went to a Barbershop/Ensemble choir party. My sister had a pair of sweet nerd glasses that she let me wear for my nerd costume. The only other thing I remember about the party was that my friend, Brooke, was a banana. I remember this A) because I had never seen full body yellow spandex and B) she used a cup and gathered her hair around and above it, which I thought was pretty clever.
Halloween 2005- My first Halloween in college! I don’t think I did anything particularly exciting that day. I sort of remember handing out candy to the guys who came trick or treating. I do remember going to a theme party earlier that month (or was it the end of September?) which I’m going to count towards celebrating Halloween. The theme was “CEOs and Secretary Hoes”… but we went to BYU, so it ended up being more like “guys in cheap suits and conservatively dressed girls.”
Amanda, me, Kylie, Ashley, Caitlin, and Cecilia. Apparently, we had two cameras going here.
Amanda, me, Siena on what I believe was the actual Halloween night of 2005.
Halloween 2006- I helped with my ward’s Halloween activity which we had the weekend before Halloween. I don’t remember anything about it, but I remember I helped! I know I dressed in black, stuck popcorn and candy wrappers all over me and went as “the floor of a movie theater.” On the actual Halloween day, my friends and I wore crazy tee shirts, hair, and make up. I believe we were “wild things.” Which makes me laugh thinking about it now because I realize just how unwild we truly were compared to many college girls our age.
On left: me, as the floor of the movie theater. On right: Annie, who wasn’t in my ward, but was a great friend to help me with the activity anyway.
Clockwise from top left: Kristen, Christine, Annie, me, Shelane, Amanda, Melissa… 7 of the least wild “wild things”
Halloween 2007- I believe I was sick that year and stayed home.
Halloween 2008- My roommates Elisa, Danielle and I went as Snap, Crackle, and Pop. I’m not sure who came up with the idea (I know it wasn’t me), but it was genius! We made the hats (and by we, I’m pretty sure I mean Danielle made mine). Shirts were DI finds. Embellishments were also homemade.
From left to right: Me, Elisa, Danielle… Snap, Crackle, and Pop, respectively.
Halloween 2009- I was lame that year and just wore my orange tights with the black skulls on them and a black dress. I didn’t even bother to buy a witches hat. Shame!
Halloween 2010- That was the year I worked at a photo studio. I saw countless costumes- baby skunks, baby punks; marios and luigis galore; flowers, fairies, firefighters… you name it, parents dressed their kids up in it. Truth be told, I was glad when Halloween was over that year. You can only photograph so many babies dressed up in animal costumes before it gets a bit redundant. Plus we had pumpkins in the studio which just cluttered the place up.
Halloween 2011- I was hopeful that 2011 would be the year that Rory and I did some sort of couples costume, but alas, Halloween crept up on me, and I ended up just pulling out the old orange tights again.
Halloween 2012- No excuses this year. I set out to find the best cheap couple(ish) costume I could find. I learned something in the process. I’ve been to Party City a handful of times this year and every time I went, there was hardly anyone else there. I’ve been wondering how they stay in business with such low traffic and low costs. I now know that October/Halloween single-handedly keeps Party City in business, I’m pretty sure.
Anyway, I spent what felt like hours there scouring the place for the perfect costume. Finally, I walked out of there with a pack of red balloons and a pack of green balloons. I spent the next hour blowing them up, and let me tell you, my jaw still aches from blowing. Then I safety pinned the red ones to Rory’s red shirt and the green ones to my green shirt. That part was actually kind of tricky since Rory wasn’t home and wouldn’t get home until about 5 minutes before we had to leave, so I had to guess as to where to pin them. The final touch was to stick leaves in our hair. Can you guess what we were?! We were a bunch of grapes. Costume total- less than $10 for the both of us! Success!
I realize purple would have been ideal, but neither of us own a purple shirt… so green and red it was! Thanks, Suzie for the photo!
Next Halloween- I’m already brainstorming mom, dad, and BABY costume ideas!!! (And you can be dang sure I’ll take photos!)
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