Doctor Grandma

This year, I will see none of my grandkids on Halloween. They live in 3 different states, counting Joseph, my step-grandson. And I am in a 4th.

I am thinking this night of Halloweens past. Let me be a bit self-indulgent.

My husband doesn’t  believe in holidays. Nothing in any way not a holiday based on a true meaning. Anything connected to a pagan past, where the church tried to take some ancient ritual and make it into a religious holiday–forget it. Then it’s based on hypocracy.

I agree, but I’m sorry, some holidays are just for fun. I don’t care what it’s history is, really. My kids deserve to dress up and walk a few streets and get some candy too. It’s just fun. So every Halloween, every single year, I walked our kids around the neighborhood. I don’t think they ever went out alone. I always went with them. Alone. And we had fun.

We were always poor in those days when our kids were little. I never had money to go out and buy new costumes. We were always trying to make do with nothing, which meant, buying some silly hat and make-up and trying to make the rest out of old clothes or Dad’s baggy shirts. I feel somewhat bad about that. I suck at making costumes or being imaginative and creative like that. Absolutely horrible. So the kids probably made more of their makeshift outfits than I did. But they went out.

On Perrin Ave., there were a few who really did it up right. One year, a guy sat on his front porch dressed as a mummy. When kids would come up on his porch, just as they were about to ring the doorbell, he would reach out his arm and say, “You want some candy?” Then his kid came out on the porch with a phone and said, “Dad, it’s for you!” The dad tried to ignore him, but the kids said it again. He finally, disgustedly said, “I TOLD you not to bother me!! I’m the mummy!” It was hilarious.

I have never gotten a birthday gift my entire life, from my husband, except a couple times when I think the kids pressured him. When I turned 50, I got roses. That’s because you’re “supposed” to buy gifts on birthdays, and it’s just the greed and materialism of our capitalistic culture that tells us we have to buy someone a gift. No gifts. No Valentine’s Day presents, that’s too expected, no Mother’s Day gifts — that’s Hallmark-made. After awhile I stopped buying him a birthday gift. So we just go out for dinner.

I know his reasoning and it all makes perfect logical sense. But it’s just no fun.

So happy halloween all you little creatures. Be safe. Dress up and pretend, and have fun. Light the pumpkin with a real tea-light candle. Boo!

This entry was posted on October 30, 2009 at 11:14 pm and is filed under Family, grandchildren. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.