The Dreaded Annual Halloween Kilt Thread - 2009

[ForresterModern]

Now what was the name of that play, MacBetty, MacBarth, MacBirth, aaahhh it doesn't really matter, the important guy was King Dunkard, or was it Drunkard, anyway all I remember what that poor old lady trying to find a good spot cleaner and lamenting to no end (and in somehwat foul language I might add) about not being able to get that poor spot out---perhaps it was in her husband's kilt, and therein lies the connection? There were witches too, I think.

[dfmacliam]

I am thinking Jamie and Star will be charactors from " A Mid Summers Night Dream" that would be fun to dress the whole family out.

[Cherub]

Colorado is expecting it's first snow storm of the year to roll in tonight. I have the feeling that this is going to be a cold Halloween here. Cold nights with full moons in Colorado are always the prettiest.

You know you are Canadian when your Halloween costume is designed to be worn over a snowsuit.

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Or it IS a snowsuit! I dressed as a Dog musher the last couple years

--Chelsea McMurdo--

[davedove]

You know you are Canadian when your Halloween costume is designed to be worn over a snowsuit.

I always feel a little sorry for the kids when it's cold for Halloween. They get their favorite costume picked out, and they're feeling good as Spiderman, a Transformer, Princess Jasmine, or whatever. Then Mom ruins it for them by making them put on their coat over the costume.

[Jack Daw]

...We even had jack-o-lanterns back in those days, albeit made from turnips, not pumpkins. It is only trick-or-treat that is an American import...

We Americans also make faces out of potatoes. He's called Mr. Potato Head, et. al., and has nothing whatsoever to do with Halloween, unless some commercial company made a costume out of it.

[Cynthia]

For the past few years, sadly, we've not done the costume thing or any parties I love costumes... then again, Halloween is my birthday! I'm not sure what our plans are for this year to celebrate it, but perhaps my husband could wear the kilt and go as "The Birthday Queen's Handsome Kilted Husband" for that day! Hmmm... I bet that'd look good on a t-shirt. Then I could wear one that says "The Birthday Queen."

[Hamish]

As someone originally from England, I have to say that costume parties for Halloween, and also the telling of ghost stories, go back a long way over there. These things were fairly common more than a decade before I emigrated to the US, and I've been over here for more than twenty years, so we're talking more than thirty years ago. We even had jack-o-lanterns back in those days, albeit made from turnips, not pumpkins. It is only trick-or-treat that is an American import.

I am sorry to have to point it out, but those Brits who say that there was never any celebration of Halloween there before trick-or-treating started must have been living under a rock. I think even the American trick-or-treat thing itself has been going on for at least a decade over there, to some extent.

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Fair enough! I must have been living under a rock then. As one who is now in their 74th year I can honestly state that Halloween has never featured in any stage of my life. I vaguely recall that Victorian children 'bobbed for apples' at about this time of year, although I have never done it myself nor seen it done by anyone else. Possibly only in the past three or four years have I become aware of supermarkets here making displays of black and orange fancy dress outfits for small children at this time of year. However, there being no children in my life, I pay no heed to these displays - nor do I know of anyone who does. Yes, I have also heard of tricking and treating in recent years - certainly not before - and assumed it to be something that happened in the USA and was now also being exercised in some inner-city areas in the UK in spite of it being generally discouraged. As for adults over here cavorting in fancy dress at parties no, that is something I have NEVER heard about.

Oh, there are so many advantages to living in a semi-rural area where children are few and far between, and the nearest night club has to be at least 30 miles away (possibly further - I have never enquired)!

Take care,
Ham.

[PS: Just for the record, with regard to Guy Fawkes Night, it must be fourty years or more since I saw a child asking for 'a penny for the guy' on the street - again, I think that is a practice very much discouraged by authorities and parents alike. Fortunately, fireworks can no longer be bought by children (that was what the 'pennies' were for when I was a youngster - not that I ever asked anyone for any myself!). I would also imagine that firework displays for Guy Fawkes are now pretty much restricted to the safety of civic or organised displays where funds might also be raised for charity.]

[Strings]

My favorite Halloween memory had nothing to do with religion or costumes.

I was handing out candy, and it was fairly warm. At the time, we had a common boa (named Issa), who would curl happily around my neck and watch what was going on*.

One family came to the door (mother, 2 small children, and gran'ma down by the walk). Mom looked on as I knelt by her children to let them pick their treats, and suddenly saw what I was "wearing"... and promptly teleported down the block (leaving her children behind)...

Gran'ma actually ran into Spoon a few days later, and recognized her. She was STILL giggling about how her daughter "abandoned ship" when she saw the snake!


* To keep things somewhat on topic, said snake would also frequently try to crawl UNDER my kilt (but never tried exploring Spoon's neckline). Snake was either female or gay, we never did figure out which.


---------------- We return you to your regularly scheduled thread--------------------

[Highlander31]

When we lived in San Jose, it would take a full weekend to get the house ready for the trick-or-treaters. We would turn the front of the house into a cave replete with bats, spiders, and ground fog. I dressed up as George Washington one year and asked the kids to tell me who I was before they could have any candy. Had a lot of entertaining answers and even a few were correct.