My favorite holiday is Halloween, probably because its always been a huge holiday for my family.
My Mom is obsessed with all things spooky, black and orange. My Dad said that when he and my Mom were dating she made him gather up a bunch of dead leaves to scatter on their front lawn for Halloween night; that was just the beginning...
Since I was a kid my Mom always threw these massive Halloween parties, fancy dress required, and after some years of months of planning and preparation she finally decided people should bring a dish too. The night of, she would force my Dad (who's idea of participation was to watch
TV in the dark) to turn off all the lights for atmosphere,while my brother and I hurried outside to put fresh
glow sticks in all the
monsters' eyes my Mom had been building since August.
Every year the theme was different. The back yard was once the gondola hollows from Phantom of the Opera, complete with boat and characters and fog rolling in from a series of machines strategically placed in the yard. Another year Aliens landed, a 15 foot spaceship with racing lights parked next to the deck. A skeletal version of Titanic is to be remembered along with a 15 foot dinner party which sat among other guests, Monica and Bill right after their scandal.
The whole neighborhood was involved. People would help starting mid August in the construction of mummies, vampires and the like. One neighbor even
constructed a massive
Ferris wheel made of
PVC pipe that actually spun and was lighted with Halloween
Xmas lights for a carnival themed scene. Much to my Father's horror, the
PVC monstrosity sat naked in our back yard for several seasons after.
These parties have since ceased after me going to college, and my Mom's energy burning out from years of constructing almost everything on her own. While
neighbors helped, the rest of my family (me included) sat spectator side, offering glasses of ice tea
intermittently throughout the hot afternoon. Her enthusiasm and love for the holiday is catching and I still shriek with delight at the first sign of Fall decorations appearing in retail and craft stores many months too soon.
Now as a semi-adult, I enjoy carrying on certain traditions. A trip to the pumpkin patch, the opening night for Halloween items at
Gaslight Emporium, and of course Halloween paper crafts that I usually make for my Mom. My Mom was my teacher and is my partner in crime when it comes to all things Halloween. Afterall, she's the only person I know who has a lifesized butler who looks like he came from the Addams Family at attention in her dining room all year round.
I have been gathering Halloween things for the past week, and made this paper doll today. I hope to teach some workshops on Halloween crafts, and pass on the bug to all who want to be bitten.
