Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family
history through old photographs.
This week’s Sepia Saturday photo celebrates Halloween. As
much as I enjoyed dressing as a gypsy for Halloween as a child (year after
year, I might add), there are no photos to remind me of the fun I had Trick-or-Treating.
Soaping windows and pulling pranks were not part of my youth. The emphasis was
always on the TREATS. A full evening of walking the streets and ringing
doorbells was rewarded with a bag full of candy corn, Mary Janes, cheap
lollipops, jawbreakers, and Tootsie Roll pops if we were lucky.
When I was too old to go Trick-or-Treating, I manned the
front door and dispensed sugary goodness to the neighborhood ghosts, witches,
and clowns. In the 1960s, teens were fairly obedient regarding the Halloween no-one-over-12
rule. Oh, a few might have squeaked by at 13, but those of us manning the doors
were not often taken for fools by an over-aged ghoul or hobo. So I knew to be
suspicious when these two came to the door.
 |
| Halloween 1966 |
Hmm, they are awfully tall, I thought to myself as I
looked at them at eye-level. Must be their last year of trick-or-treating. But
they lingered at the door much too long -- just long enough for me to notice
the dress the girl on the right was wearing.
I had seen that dress before.
It was my grandmother’s dress!
 |
| My grandparents Lucille Rucker Davis and Orvin Davis My baby sister Mary Jollette and me August 1959 |
The trick-or-treaters were none other than my grandmother
Lucille Rucker Davis and my cousin Bobbie who was living with her while
attending college. The two of them were quite proud of themselves for fooling a
few of our close neighbors before trying this stunt on me. I had to admit,
those masks were really good!
(By the way, the trick-or-treaters left to right were my grandmother and my cousin wearing Grandma's dress.)
For more tricks and treats, please make your way to Sepia Saturday.
Wendy
© 2017, Wendy Mathias.
All rights reserved.
How fun that they tricked you -- for a while.
ReplyDeleteToo bad you missed out on soaping windows and pranks -- the children in my neighborhood waited all year to misbehave for Halloween :-) One of our favorites was ringing the doorbell and running to hide. Of course the parents on our block were less than thrilled. Great photos of your Grandmother in and out of costume :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great sense of humour!
ReplyDeleteHow fun - your grandmother's cool trick! And I, too, remember the days when trick-or-treating was for those 12 and under. No longer, though. Not in our neighborhood, anyway. Teen trick-or-treaters are a normal sight here. Some of the parents with younger kidlets even dress up, but don't beg for candy. At least not from us. Maybe from their kids after they get home? :)
ReplyDeleteYour grandmother sounds great fun!
ReplyDeleteI was always cautious of teens who roamed in groups (little gangs?) and rang doorbells. We hid the trash can in the garage if we could, because taht was a favorite trick, tumping it upside down. Sometimes someone's tree would get "papered" with toilet paper. But I'd much prefer the teens doing these harmless pranks and being part of the community of fun than going off to do drugs or other dangerous things. Now nobody goes door to door, so anyone strolling along is suspicious!
ReplyDeletePretty Scary! In our neighborhood this week there seemed to be just as many adults in costumes as there were children. Still we only got less than 20 kids and none with homemade costumes like your grandmother's.
ReplyDeleteThat's hysterical! My 11 year old grandson is about 5'6" (he towers over me) and tried desperately to trick-or-treat with his younger cousins but finally had to give up because he said he felt too old due to his height. Good thing they had lots of leftover candy at their house so he could fill up his bag!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great story! I was a gypsy for a few years as well as a kid; wearing a great skirt of my mothers, with her scarves and hoop earrings and sandals that she spray painted gold for me.
ReplyDelete