I Forgot How Much I Like Scaring Adults

I spent Halloween evening ensconced in the back of my little Honda Fit, with my head in the hole in the center of this picture - smack dab between Yoda and the tall doll pictured here. The idea was it was supposed to represent my closet, but I'm not sure that came across really well - I need better lighting and better signage for next year.

Anyway, I devised a way to, first of all, stay completely in my car all evening. I'm a veteran of Trunk or Treat in the small town where I work as a church choir director, and I usually spend the night feeling completely miserable - cold, crabby, in pain because of how I have to put my body, and just not happy at all. I decided this was the year that would end! So, I made a backdrop (notice the scarves from the Dollar Tree - Trunk or Treat accessory AND music therapy prop!). The concept was the closet in the movie ET - you know, the one where ET hides from the mom? So, I put my head into the display - no makeup or anything - just my face, and then laid on my wedge pillow inside my car. I was toasty warm. I didn't even wear my coat or use the sleeping bag I brought with me because I was comfortable. I still don't like this holiday, but I was able to make it tolerable.

The worst part of the evening was when I was unable to convince a couple of toddlers that I was okay. The best part of the evening was when I startled a bunch of the big kids and several adults! I've forgotten how much I like being part of the spooky part of Halloween.

When I worked for a state institution as a rehabilitation therapist, the month of October was spent putting together an elaborate haunted house. I wasn't all that interested in being part of the vignettes, and there were about 32 of us on the team, so I was, being the low person on the seniority scale, extra. So, I created my own place in the house. We had strung up many black curtains around the large room that we were using, and I had a completely black costume on to assist me with the various costume changes that I had to make - I was the break coverage for all of the vignettes but had lots of down time - I found a black mask. I took to sitting against the curtains in various places around the maze, and I would wait.

My favorite thing to do was to wait for a large bunch of people who were talking really loudly. I would reach out and touch the leg of one of those people and just wait for the screaming to begin. If I got a particularly enjoyable response, I would scoot through the maze and do it again and again and again to that same poor person. I loved it!

That's been my favorite part of the whole Halloween thing - being scary to adults and silly to kids. This "costume" helped me to do both. I was at the eye level of most of the toddlers in the trick or treat line, so they were able to make eye contact and see me. The adults and older kids weren't able to see me as well, so I could spook them. I loved it!

I am very thankful that the entire holiday is over. I am ready for the relative calm of November. I hope it will be relatively calm. I hope.