When I was young, choosing a Halloween costume took days or maybe weeks of consideration. Should I dress up in a spooky costume or something silly? What character I chose when attending grade school was worlds apart from my teenage years. 

As a little girl, the earliest costume I recall wearing was a yellow chick. Remember the costumes that were one-piece rompers? They were made of flimsy cotton with a vinyl screenprint on the front and tied behind your neck. This particular costume came with a little yellow cap secured with a thin ribbon under my chin. I’m not sure why I chose to be a yellow chick. I’m thinking it was on sale at Hills or Kmart so mom bought it.

The plastic masks and costumes we wore in grade school during the 1970s were the best, and simultaneously, the worst! I loved the square cardboard box they were packaged in with cellophane in the middle so you could take a peek at the mask inside. Most of these gems were created by Ben Cooper in the 1970s and were all the rage at Halloween. You could transform into Batman or a princess in just one box.

 The thin rubberband you stretched behind your head to secure the mask occasionally snapped and pinched your hair which often produced some watery eyes. How did we see through those small eye holes when the mask never stayed in place? How did we breathe out of the plastic mouth cut-outs that got soggy inside from our breath? It was a wonder more of us didn’t end up in the emergency room. When dad brought down the big box of Halloween costumes from our attic, I dug through looking for my favorites. The mean witch with stringy locks of synthetic black hair and a skeleton with a spooky spider on its face was my go-to. 

 Canfield High School in the 80s took Halloween seriously as they still do today. Entering high school changed my perspective on dressing up. I went the cute, kind of flirtatious costume route. One year my friend and I chose to be matching jack-o-lanterns. We wore short shorts, black tights, and orange sweatshirts with faces on them. Too cute. 

I adore Halloween! Between the decor, scary movies, and of course, lots of pumpkins, I’m not sure what I enjoy the most. Wait…who am I kidding, it’s the candy. I hope you enjoy a little bit of spooky fun this year!

Thanks to my sister, Barb (The Princess) for searching for this picture, and my brother, Tim (the old man) for actually finding it! Completing this picture are my sisters, Michelle (the witch), Laura (The Indian), and our old neighbor, Ken Pia. Of course, that’s ME in the chick costume! I knew this picture existed and so happy to have it! Happy Halloween!