Halloween Memories - A Childhood Made of Magic

If some of my recent posts didn't give it away, I absolutely adore Halloween. I think it's such a magical, fun, silly little holiday. I'm fortunate enough to be part of a family who always celebrated it, even when the rest of our country seemed entirely reluctant. My Mum is a sucker for all things spooky and decorating the house to fit any occasion, so it's no wonder she took to Halloween the way she did. Growing up, I never really celebrated with friends. Instead, Mum would decorate the house and dress me up as a gruesome little witch - we had two cats and one was black, after all - and she'd make 'Halloween Punch' for us all to enjoy (which, looking back, I'm sure had wine in it…!) We'd carve pumpkins each and watch spooky movies on TV and we always managed to include the wonderful Disney short 'Trick or Treat' from 1952 - the tune is still sung regularly around our house this time of year!​

When the evening drew in, Dad would take me out trick-or-treating, which really translated to walking me across the road to one specific neighbour in a pre-arranged visit, where I would be armed with a sweet or two. We lived in a small village, and our particular area had no children or younger families really, so even though we decorated the house, we rarely actually received any trick-or-treaters ourselves.

Still, growing up, the night was magical. I grew up in a house where occasions were truly celebrated and where everything was exciting. 

When we went to Florida for the very first time, we went in October and it was mind boggling to me how full-on the Americans went for Halloween! How they decorated their houses so beautifully, and how the theme parks went mad for the season! If there's something I'd take away from the Americans, it's how they put so much passion and enthusiasm into everything they do. Coming from the UK where so much is met with a 'mustn't grumble' mentality, it really is refreshing to actually see people embracing and enjoying silly things and just plain having fun.

As a teenager, I discovered and subsequently became obsessed with the band Oingo Boingo. Known most famously in California for their Halloween Party Anthem, 'Dead Man's Party', Boingo are a band heavily associated with Halloween. I made several trips to the West Coast in subsequent Octobers to meet friends I'd made through the band, and even went to a Halloween party in Hollywood dressed as the Queen from the Boingo-centric b-movie 'The Forbidden Zone'! And though they disbanded in 1995, I was lucky enough to fly out to LA for their first ever reunion show which was, you guessed it, on Halloween!

​So if I was ever meant to 'grow out' of Halloween, it certainly didn't happen. If anything, my love for the holiday only grew as I gained friends who shared my interests. In recent years, also, the UK seems to have started to embrace the spooky season, so we usually find something fun to do as a family. For example, a couple of years ago, we went to S.S. Great Britain in Bristol, for example, to enjoy their 'Spooky Ship' event and had a wonderful time!

I guess my figuring is, life is short and it can be incredibly monotonous if you allow. Halloween offers a chance to dress up, put on some crazy makeup and just plain have fun. If you're a convention goer like me, you probably don't need any excuse to dress up in a silly costume! But a lot of people don't get the opportunity very often, so why not don the silly hat, stick a bin-bag on your back and find your nan's old broom? Magic and make-believe doesn't have to stay behind with childhood, after all!​​​