I was in an author’s reader group on Halloween where she asked what our favorite memory of Halloween was and it caused me to think. Â I mean, Halloween is my favorite holiday but what about it is my favorite memory? Â What made it my favorite holiday? Â It took me awhile, because as a kid I hated the big deal about it for most kids. Â I hated trick or treating. Â Such a weird tradition we have here where we encourage children to go up to stranger’s houses and ask for candy. Â Who came up with this idea anyways and how did it catch on? Â It was in thinking about this weird tradition of asking strangers for candy, that I remembered what made Halloween my favorite holiday. It was my Dad.
I was such an introverted kid that even then, the thought of going up to stranger’s door, ringing the bell and saying “trick or treat” was too much. Â Plus, in my town, there was the tradition of telling a joke before they would give you candy. Â An introverts worst nightmare I tell you. Â To top it off, I didn’t have siblings to go out with and save me some of the pressure. Â BFF told me that was the only reason she would go. Â Her brother’s did all the talking and she collected candy. Â She said once they stopped going, so did she. Â I didn’t have that luxury. Â I was an only child until I was 11, so I was stuck going out doing this by myself. Â I didn’t have many friends either. Nope. Â Hard pass. Â I would rather stay at home reading a book. Â I loved getting dressed up in costume, however the thought of going door to door caused me anxiety. Â To help alleviate this anxiety about trick or treating, my Dad decided to come with me.
Now one thing you have to understand about my Dad is that he is a big kid at heart. Â This is where I get it from and I love it. Â My Dad also never does anything half-hearted. Â This being said, he didn’t just decide to come trick or treating with me. Â He also decided to dress up with me and not in a lame store-bought costume. Â When I was a child, store bought costumes really were not a thing. Â Most people in our town, made their own and the kids came up with all sorts of idea for them, I am sure much to the dismay of their parents who then had to figure out how to implement them. Â I remember my Mom making me a Raggedy Ann costume, complete with a mop head dyed red for my hair. Â Everyone really went all out in our small Iowa town. Â My Dad was no exception. Â He decided to dress up as Dracula so a cape was made. Â Then a white dress shirt had a Styrofoam “wooden stake” attached over the heart with fake blood all around it (he might have used paint for that). Â Then, to take it one step further, my Dad made vampire teeth. Â Yes you read that right. Â He MADE them. Â My Dad was a dental lab technician and made dentures, partials and the like for a living, so he made fangs to go in his mouth. They were the same color as his own teeth and looked so real. Â My Mom helped him powder him face white and he even used makeup to make blood dripping down the corner of his mouth. Â I was so excited that my Dad took all this trouble to go trick or treating with me. Â He could have just come along like a normal parent, but nope. Â He even slicked his hair back and tried out his outfit with a few early bird trick or treaters. Â Judging by the screams, he knew he had gotten it right.
My Dad and I set out to gather candy from strangers. Â The Dracula and the traditional Korean girl (I had a real Korean outfit my Dad had brought back from when he was stationed there and I loved wearing it) walking hand in hand. Â Dad actually made me excited to go trick or treating. Â He went up to the first few doors with me and parents loved the fact that he was dressed up. Â Pretty soon, he would just stand back and watch me go up to the doors, sometimes even by myself. Â He even solved the joke problem by carrying a joke book in his back pocket and would let me find one to tell. Â When he stood back and let me go up to the doors, he was never far from sight. Â Usually standing on the sidewalk or in the yard. Â Then he got this brilliant idea. Â He would stand under trees and scare the shit out of kids who were walking up to houses. Â Parents loved it. Â In fact, I started pointing out my Dad when they would ask me if I was by myself so they could see him standing creepily under trees waiting to scare children by turning on his best Dracula voice. Â Creeper. It was so awesome. Â I might have gotten extra candy for my Dad and filled pillowcases. Â And yes…I shared with him.
The next year, I wasn’t so apprehensive to go trick or treating, but you know what? Â My Dad still went with me. Â He continued to go every year even though I was past that phobia by then. Â I didn’t mind. Â I would have missed him being there to be honest. Â Not everyone’s Dad will get dressed up every year as Dracula and go trick or treating with their kids. Â My Dad? Â He is awesome like that. Â For reals.
Oh yeah. Â I didn’t die today. Â I did however remember what made me love Halloween as a kid and it was my Dad but I didn’t die. Â I am Fat Girl whose Dad dressed up as a creepy Dracula to alleviate my anxiety about trick or treating and in turn made Halloween my favorite holiday Running. Â The experiment continues…