HALLOWEEN COSTUMES FOR THE LARGER FAMILIES***
Sep 24 '00
This is part of a write-off on Halloween horror stories.
Large families run in my family! My aunt has 9 children, my uncle had 10 children. My father was from a huge family with 14 brothers and sisters. In the scheme of things, my family was small compared to some others, consisting of seven. As in most families with children, Halloween has special meaning. It's a night which conjures up thoughts of evil doings, pranks, scary costumes and fun!! Candy and gum, lots of chocolate and other unhealthy foods are a big part of the appeal. Well, what do you do if you are a kid from an enormous family that happens to have a cash flow problem?
My mom devised very clever ways of allowing us to participate on this unholy of all nights. The costumes are my favorite childhood memory of Halloweens past. As I considered just how much embarrassment I was willing to share in this editorial, I smiled with glee as I reminisced on my favorite and most frightening Halloween. Stores commercialize Halloween and most other holidays in a big way. What kid wouldn't want to get all dressed up to look like the Hulk on Halloween night? Or to look like Darth Veda, or R2D2. All little girls my age wanted to look like Elvira, or at least I did!
Okay, flash back to the year 1970. Are you there yet? I was 10 years old and Halloween was fast approaching. "Mom, I want a new costume for Halloween!! Pleeeassee, MOMMMYYY!!!!" Those were the words my dear mother heard over and over the week leading up to the scariest night of the year!! Mom barely had enough cash to keep food on the table much less buy five expensive Halloween costumes. She decided that we would design our own costumes. Well, what a novel idea!
Out came big old overcoats, my dad's broken straw hats, huge work boots and lots of food coloring for makeup. My sister took the easy way out cutting two holes in a white sheet and instantly transforming into Casper the stupid ghost! My brother, God bless his spirit, always wanted to be a pirate. So, presto chango...a gravelly voiced one eyed, one armed pirate was created. I wanted to be different. What exactly, I didn't know at the time. What I became was my family's worst nightmare.
My oldest sister had started wearing makeup in 1970. Maybelline was all the rage; red lipsticks, the blackest mascara and liquid eyeliner. I felt the need to apply all of them, all over my face, all at once!! My cheeks needed to be blushed so I smudged red lipstick on my cheek bones. The eyeliner ended up a moustache...then a beard!! Then my eyebrows were too thin so, of course they needed to be thickened and enlarged! Who the heck knew what I looked like, but it sure was creative!
We went off trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We got tons and tons of treats! Getting home to have it inspected was what I could hardly wait to do. After all, wasn't eating the sweets the BEST part of the entire night's activities??!! Once at home, mom insisted that we remove our makeup and costumes first. Reluctantly, I stormed up the stairs to wait my turn for the bathroom. It had been hours since I applied my award winning horror makeup. I didn't want to remove it yet. It was a work of art!!
My siblings were now yelling for me to hurry up so that we could exchange the now inspected candies with each other. I was taking a rather long time removing my makeup. The harder I scrubbed, the less the makeup came off!! "Oh, my GOD!!!! MOM!!!! I can't get my makeup off! Help me!" Suddenly, there was a charge up the stairs; my four brothers and sisters, and mom pulling up the rear. After only one look in my mother's face, I knew I was in BIG trouble. My cheeks had starting swelling up. They felt extremely warm to the touch and burned. My eyes had black streaks from the mascara and were red-rimmed and burned. My hands were covered with smudged red lipstick, soap, baby oil, Noxzema cold cream and everything else I tried using to remove the horrible goddamn makeup!!
Two hours later, in the local emergency room, I got the scolding of my life from the doctor and nurses about improper use of cosmetics! I apparently had an allergic reaction to some of the ingredients in the lipstick that I artistically smeared all over my face. I am grateful to those wonderful doctors and nurses for removing the hideous mask that had become my face for several hours that Halloween night.
As another Halloween approaches, I beg you to make your own costumes, but use hypoallergenic washable makeup. Horror stories like mine should be left to the great minds of Hollywood movie directors and not happening to real life children.
Happy Halloween to all the witches and ghouls!!
((As part of this halloween write off, please make sure to read all of the wonderful Epinion authors: acdc711, cate1956, chicknyell, chriseyb, ciera11111, dndn4Kidz, drdad, erin5oaks, gungian, jaynycity, jdanishevsky, jdinpa, kelamandasmom, mar6732, mattjoe, mb1113, remind, shartion, surgrn911, susidee34, tiffer0220, and tucker300.))
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