Sunday, October 28, 2007

What are some of your most memorable Halloween experiences?

7 comments:

Alison Ballstaedt Weaver said...

When we lived in Tulsa I remember returning home from trick-or-treating with the family (we must have gone somewhere else besides our neighborhood). When we got home, I went trick-or-treating by myself around the circle we lived on. I think I just wanted to get a few more houses in. I remember going to the Gandal's house and ringing the doorbell. One of the older boys answered the door. No words were spoken between us. I didn't say "trick-or-treat" and he didn't say anything. I just opened my bag and he gave me candy and I left. I remember it being a bit of an awkward moment. I was only 5-years-old. Mom made me the cutest princess costume and a material crown. I love the picture I have of that Halloween.

I remember one Halloween someone smashed our jack-o-lanterns on the street (on Sundrift Circle). I don't know why . . . but I was so upset by it. I could not believe someone could do something so awful. Now days it doesn't seem like that bit of a deal . . . but at the time time it was unimaginable. It felt like the equivalent of someone breaking a window in our house or something. Isn't it interesting how children perceive things?

I loved it when dad would take us trick-or-treating up on Prospector. I remember taking our candy out of our pillow cases and spreading it out on the family room floor.

I remember worrying that someone had put raiser blades in our candy.

I remember the parade through the classrooms at Butler Elementary. I think I was a baby one year and wore my night gown and took a big teddy bear. Halloween was such a fun and exciting time for me when we were little. One year I wore one of mom's fur coats and pretended to be a rich lady.

Does anyone remember going to the haunted house they had at the Old Mill? One time when I went there with my friends I was crossing a bridge (in a really scary part) and someone started grabbing my legs. I started kicking their arms really hard. Poor worker . After the fact I thought to myself, "I bet I really hurt them" . . . but at the moment I did it I was just trying to survive and make it accross the bridge.

Abi said...

What comes to mind is every year the mystery of what my costume would be....It seemed like it was always down to the wire. I think one of my Favorite costumes was Strawberry Shortcake. I put on so much make-up. I don't know if Mom was aware, but I was in her make-up and covered my face.

I loved Halloween night and Dad taking us to Prospector. The big talk was that the walkers gave out King Size Candy bars! That is the house i wanted to go to.

I loved running from house to house and Dad piliing all of us kids and friends into the car and then driving around to all of the neightborhoods. I always compared my pillow case to my siblings--Who got the most candy?

Then I would spread it all out and organize it. I remember that my candy was usually gone in one week--even though I usually got what seemed like 10 pounds. I felt lucky that Mom and Dad didn't restrict my candy eating and I could eat it as fast as I wanted.

Abi said...

What comes to mind is every year the mystery of what my costume would be....It seemed like it was always down to the wire. I think one of my Favorite costumes was Strawberry Shortcake. I put on so much make-up. I don't know if Mom was aware, but I was in her make-up and covered my face.

I loved Halloween night and Dad taking us to Prospector. The big talk was that the walkers gave out King Size Candy bars! That is the house i wanted to go to.

I loved running from house to house and Dad piliing all of us kids and friends into the car and then driving around to all of the neightborhoods. I always compared my pillow case to my siblings--Who got the most candy?

Then I would spread it all out and organize it. I remember that my candy was usually gone in one week--even though I usually got what seemed like 10 pounds. I felt lucky that Mom and Dad didn't restrict my candy eating and I could eat it as fast as I wanted.

Alison Ballstaedt Weaver said...

Yipee Aba! You are getting into the Halloweeen Spirit!

Do any of you rememer the Johnson's Haunted House?

Alison Ballstaedt Weaver said...

I must have gone through their "Haunted House" 20 times (the Johnson's). I don't remember if we had to pay or not. I remember putting our hand in something squishy . . . I think jello.

andrew ballstaedt said...

i remeber going trick or treating for the first time not with dad. i was with my middle school seventh grade friends, and we were walking in prospector, alongside wasatch boulavarde, and i had this really sad melencholy feeling come over me. in my mind i could picture jon and joe with dad doing trick or treating. dad would always drive us all around and we would go to the best neighborhoods where we would get big candybars - because the people were rich - and dad would take us in the orange van to all the rich neighborhoods and it was like a game to him to see if he could help us fill up our pillow cases. and so, that 7th grade halloween - at that moment - it felt like some of my childhood had ended and i wanted to cry because i wasn't trick or treating with dad in the orange van - because i wasn't with jon, joe, abigail, christina, and maryalice. michael wasn't born yet. he was born two years later when i was going in to 9th grade.
meow.

Abi said...

I know what you mean andrew--its hard when traditions end. It was great how Dad was so into taking us kids to do fun things--that were free!