Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for October 31, 2022

I dressed as a Hobo a few times.I even dressed as the Mummy. Made the costume. I was proud of it. Got a few compliments. I think I could be the Mummy today. I almost don’t have to add makeup.

Ah yes! And we knew all the “good” houses; the ones that gave special stuff!

When the look suits you why would you change

I remember being almost four and my brother taking me with him for my first foray into Trick or Treating. Two houses nobody answered but they were not friendly neighbors. Third house the kindly lady opened the door but started going on about not trusting any young ghosts. I saw the whole evening crashing so I piped up “No Mrs. B, it’s me!”

We always wore reversible jackets and hit the houses twice that gave out whole big candy bars.

First time I went trick or treating it was a last minute thing – I was in kindergarten so I had just turned 5 that day. So mom put lipstick on me and I was “a mommy” we went to maybe 3 apartments of people we knew for me to trick or treat.

When we were teens we didn’t dress up for Halloween anymore, but we did get hungry while we were out cavorting. We’d go to a house and when they asked us what we were supposed to be we’d say “Electricians”. We always got candy and after we said thank you we’d give them our tag line.

Don’t call us, we won’t call you.

The older I get (I’m 70 yrs) the less I worry about what my clothes look like, as long as they’re clean.

I went once just after my 7th birthday, dressed as a skeleton. I didn’t see anything fun about it (goes to show how long I have been a fuddy duddy!).

What? No Arlo imagination panel of Janis the ballerina.

When I was a kid, Hallowe’en was one day, and specifically for kids. You stopped when you were about 10. Now it’s a month-long October celebration, and everybody does it. I’m not sure when it changed.

now i want to see Janis in her tutu

Ever notice how bad those masks in the store bought costumes STUNK after a few hours ? P.U.

I don’t remember any of the costumes I wore. About the only things I do remember is getting caramel popcorn balls from one neighbor, and ranging quite far from home one year trying to get more swag…

It’s not gonna work, Arlo. She’s no going to start dressing like a ballerina.

I dress like a hobo most of the time, too, now that I am retired.

Hobo or pirate with those old clothes.

I had some store-bought costumes which were pretty awful but my best was a Zorro costume made for me by mom: black shirt, black pants, black hat (getting the brim flat was a major problem), black cape. The whole thing (except for a real sword and stand-in for Tornado.) …I know, I’m dating myself.

I often went as a hobo. I wore my dad’s oversize old shirt and stuffed it with a pillow and blackened my face with a fake beard using a burned cork.

Wearing comfortable clothing is one of the very few perks of old age, Arlo.

Do what you do, do well.

My grand kids always ask why do you wear the same clothes all the time, I tell them that way i have extra money for Happy meals…..

You know how old clothes are going to fit and how to layer them. You have to learn how new clothes are going to look and feel on you. As Pooh would say, “Oh, bother.”

My mom made amazing costumes. One year, I wanted to go as a luna moth. My parents made a massive pair of wire frame wings that I decorated with fabric paint. Another year, she made me furry pants and a tunic so I could be Puss n Boots (this was back when you could wear costume weapons to school, so I wore a sword).

Our costumes had to fit over a snow suit.

My chief Hallowe’en memory is when I was in the 1st grade. I knocked on a door in my neighborhood. A kid who was in my class opened it. After we both recovered from the shock, we became friends until we were out of high school.

My mother had some evening dresses from my grandmother and we would wear those dressed as “princesses”. We never had store bought costumes, we always made them with the help of mom. One year, my oldest brother helped me make an “Alley Oop” costume from a burlap chicken feed sack. We found a nice tree limb for a club and I rubbed coal dust all over me. I think that was my favorite costume, primarily because my 3rd grade teacher (who was evil incarnate) was so upset with it. Little girls were supposed to be pretty and clean!

This year I wore tie-dye from head to toe. In other words, I went as myself, but most costumes at that party were darker: witches, gothic black, some lit-up.

sheets with holes for eyes, every year… now a days Halloween outranks christmas with todays kids

It says 2022 as the date, but I would swear this is a rerun.