Halloween Is A Hoot

Halloween seems to be becomming more and more popular, in terms of decorating and dressing for the occasion. When we lived in LA, no one decorated and almost no one went trick or treating, in our neighborhood anyway. Over the years Halloween has been celebrated more at school, in shopping centers and after school clubs. It's a great way to keep the children safe and still let them have a good time. In Boulder, Colorado they make Halloween a family affair. Everyone dresses up and parades along Pearl Street Mall (pedestrian only), then the merchants give out candy. No need to go trick or treating. Lennon, age 3, went as a hot dog, and Elsa, age 9 months, was a flower. Two Halloweens stick out in my mind. One was over 55 years ago. I was just a small child, but I clearly remember my parents going to a Halloween party. My dad was the hit of the party, dressed as a ballerina. Pink leotard, pink tutu, ballet slippers, and pink ribbon crisscrossed halfway up his legs. He looked fantastic, and I can't let Halloween pass without a smile at remembering my dad as a ballerina. The other Halloween that sticks out was about 30 years ago, when Ron and I went to a party in LA. We didn't know what to do for costumes, so we went to the home of a dear friend of our parents, Dick Gresham. Dick was creative character who loved to dress up, and had a costume for every occasion. We borrowed his "bagel and locks" (lox) costume. I was the bagel and Ron was the locks. (Ron had chains and locks all over a leather outfit). The costume was very creative, but the real reason I remember that Halloween year was that it was one of the last times we ever saw Dick. Dick was tragically murdered just a few weeks later. Here's what happened. Dick had a handyman come out to his home to give him an estimate on roof repair. Dick ended up hiring someone else to do the work, and the handyman came back to the house and killed Dick and threw him in the swimming pool. In the course of their initial conversation, Dick revealed that his daughter worked at an abortion clinic in Los Angeles. After the handyman killed Dick, he went to the abortion clinic looking for Dick's daughter, held several people hostage, but was finally killed in a shoot out with police. A very tragic ending. Well, this Halloween was happier. We live in a kid friendly neighborhood, where many people decorate their homes, and all the kids go trick or treating. I gave away three bags of candy. I got smart this year and bought stuff I didn't like, just in case I had leftovers. All the candy was given away, and our house is candy free for

another year. (or until I make a trip to See's for my favorite candy, scotch kisses).