The Halloween Scrooge
10-30-2015
Author: Blog Editor in RV Tips & Education
By Stephanie A. Mayberry
I grew up with overprotective parents. Well, actually that is a bit of an understatement. If they could have put me in a gilded cage until I was 40 they would have. Needless to say, I grew up hearing in gory detail every terrible Halloween horror story from razor blades in apples to trick or treating children being abducted and used as human sacrifices.
Fun times.
Fortunately, Halloween was never really my thing. Forget “shy” or “reserved,” I am a full-blown introvert. The thought of going up to strangers’ doors and asking for candy was more of a nightmare for me than the fabled razor bladed apples. I was so tall (5 feet 8 inches at age 10) the kid costumes rarely fit, plus I felt like an idiot dressing up like that – even at a very young age. It just wasn’t my time of year, but I soldiered on thinking I was fitting in.
I wasn’t fooling anyone. I was a quirky then as I am now.
The last Halloween I actually participated in was several years ago while I was living in D.C. I knew my husband, but we were not yet “serious” and marriage was nowhere in the picture. A coworker convinced me to go with her to a Halloween party, assuring me that we would have a blast.
Did I mention I don’t like Halloween and I loathe parties? But, I went anyway. Maybe it was the excitement of the city, or maybe I just got caught up in my friend’s excitement, either way I found myself trying to figure out a costume.
I don’t like costumes either.
Yeah, just call me Scrooge – the Halloween version.
It took me all of about 10 minutes to come up with a costume – and create it. The hardest part was finding a marker to make the sign that I wore.
I dressed in my normal clothes and carried a sign that said I was a nudist on strike. It had some catchy phrase, I forget how it went – I’m pretty sure I blocked it out. I did get a lot of laughs though. People were stopping me on the Metro, on the street, everywhere, telling me what a cool “costume” I had. I will say, people in D.C. come up with some very creative costumes. The Metro looked like a B grade horror movie that night.
That was kinda awesome.
After that night, though, I gave in to my primal instinct. I stopped participating in Halloween altogether. I turn off my lights and slip to the bedroom and curl up with a good book. My husband reads his own book or plays is guitar. It is quiet and relaxed and I love being released from the Halloween nonsense.
Last year the campground where we were staying had a huge shindig for all the kids. I must say it was pretty impressive. They had a bouncy house, lots of candy, activities, crafts, games, costume contests – they went all out. Some of the older kids talked about having a bon fire after dark but none of the adults wanted a huge fire tended by teenagers that close to their campers so they nixed that idea. Making s’mores in the microwave is not nearly as romantic, but it’s a lot safer.
I have been to other campgrounds where they did similar things and I have wondered if my Halloween aversion is a product of nature or nurture. Would I still frown upon this day if I had grown up in RV campgrounds surrounded by nice RV folks? It’s a different world, to be sure.
We don’t have any little ones in the campground where we are now. It is rather small and most of the residents are Boeing contractors (we are less than a mile from Boeing – yes it can get loud). It will be another quiet Halloween for us.
For those of you who are giving out candy, make sure it’s the good stuff. No “fruit flavored snacks” or granola bars or any of that Whole Foods sugary alternative junk. No, this is one of the very few times during the year that it’s OK to break out the hard stuff: chocolate, candy corn, Jolly Ranchers, you name it. If you are going to do it, do it right.
I’ll be home reading my book.
Bah humbug.
I grew up with overprotective parents. Well, actually that is a bit of an understatement. If they could have put me in a gilded cage until I was 40 they would have. Needless to say, I grew up hearing in gory detail every terrible Halloween horror story from razor blades in apples to trick or treating children being abducted and used as human sacrifices.
Fun times.
Fortunately, Halloween was never really my thing. Forget “shy” or “reserved,” I am a full-blown introvert. The thought of going up to strangers’ doors and asking for candy was more of a nightmare for me than the fabled razor bladed apples. I was so tall (5 feet 8 inches at age 10) the kid costumes rarely fit, plus I felt like an idiot dressing up like that – even at a very young age. It just wasn’t my time of year, but I soldiered on thinking I was fitting in.
I wasn’t fooling anyone. I was a quirky then as I am now.
The last Halloween I actually participated in was several years ago while I was living in D.C. I knew my husband, but we were not yet “serious” and marriage was nowhere in the picture. A coworker convinced me to go with her to a Halloween party, assuring me that we would have a blast.
Did I mention I don’t like Halloween and I loathe parties? But, I went anyway. Maybe it was the excitement of the city, or maybe I just got caught up in my friend’s excitement, either way I found myself trying to figure out a costume.
I don’t like costumes either.
Yeah, just call me Scrooge – the Halloween version.
It took me all of about 10 minutes to come up with a costume – and create it. The hardest part was finding a marker to make the sign that I wore.
I dressed in my normal clothes and carried a sign that said I was a nudist on strike. It had some catchy phrase, I forget how it went – I’m pretty sure I blocked it out. I did get a lot of laughs though. People were stopping me on the Metro, on the street, everywhere, telling me what a cool “costume” I had. I will say, people in D.C. come up with some very creative costumes. The Metro looked like a B grade horror movie that night.
That was kinda awesome.
After that night, though, I gave in to my primal instinct. I stopped participating in Halloween altogether. I turn off my lights and slip to the bedroom and curl up with a good book. My husband reads his own book or plays is guitar. It is quiet and relaxed and I love being released from the Halloween nonsense.
Last year the campground where we were staying had a huge shindig for all the kids. I must say it was pretty impressive. They had a bouncy house, lots of candy, activities, crafts, games, costume contests – they went all out. Some of the older kids talked about having a bon fire after dark but none of the adults wanted a huge fire tended by teenagers that close to their campers so they nixed that idea. Making s’mores in the microwave is not nearly as romantic, but it’s a lot safer.
I have been to other campgrounds where they did similar things and I have wondered if my Halloween aversion is a product of nature or nurture. Would I still frown upon this day if I had grown up in RV campgrounds surrounded by nice RV folks? It’s a different world, to be sure.
We don’t have any little ones in the campground where we are now. It is rather small and most of the residents are Boeing contractors (we are less than a mile from Boeing – yes it can get loud). It will be another quiet Halloween for us.
For those of you who are giving out candy, make sure it’s the good stuff. No “fruit flavored snacks” or granola bars or any of that Whole Foods sugary alternative junk. No, this is one of the very few times during the year that it’s OK to break out the hard stuff: chocolate, candy corn, Jolly Ranchers, you name it. If you are going to do it, do it right.
I’ll be home reading my book.
Bah humbug.
Comment
Steph_MayberryNovember 16, 2015 | 01:12 PM
LOL I've seen some great activities at campgrounds and not just for Halloween. I am just not much of a joiner - more of a loner actually. Hmmm...guess I need to work on that.
WanderLusterNovember 2, 2015 | 01:42 PM
Live a little! Halloweens at the campgrounds we have stayed at have been some of the best we've ever had. So many put on great activities and fun stuff for the kids!
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