I will no doubt be heckled for this, but I’ve never had a problem with Halloween. Sure, after nearly four decades, trick-or-treating has gotten old, and the idea of dragging my kids around at night while they fill their bags with sugar I don’t even want them eating has lost its luster.
But I remember Halloween growing up in the 80s as a really fun time. I frequently came up with my own costumes, and it was a chance to really exercise the old creative arts. One of my favorites was this one, which I concocted after seeing a pretty amusing costumed rendition of Herman’s Hermits’ Henry VIII I Am on an episode of the Smothers Brothers variety show:
I must have been twelve or thirteen at the time. I can’t tell you how much extra candy I got that year – for me and “my friend.” (People really thought I had found some mensch to carry me around all night!) I also won a costume contest in a local parade, winning a whopping $5.00 McDonald’s gift certificate for my trouble.