Ghosts of Halloweens Past

OK, in our decade of trick-or-treating, nobody has ever actually dressed up as a ghost. But the title was catchier than "The Costumes of Halloweens Past"!

Yesterday was our 10th anniversary of having moved into this house. And we've been parents for ten years (son is 10-3/4, daughters are 9-1/2). And I've recently been organizing the boxes of old photos stored in boxes in the guest closet.

Hence, the pictorial retrospective:


1999: My little moo-cow's first time
dressing up for Halloween
(at 21 months)

2001: Moving on to other farm animals,
3-year-old son was a sheep;
my little jack-o-lanterns went
trick-or-treating for the first time

2002: OK, I couldn't find a Halloween picture,
but this is close enough. It's one of my favorite
studio photos of my trio.

2003: Two little witches

and a black dog

2004: Jack-o-lantern redux
and a scary skeleton man!

2005: We had a mix this year --
a princess, Dora the Explorer,
and a scary race car driver

2005: Another year of missing
Halloween photos, but another
fall photo I love nevertheless!
(I just love those smiles!)

2006: My son again used his creativity
to create a race car (this version
contained a built-in compartment
for holding candy), a fairy,
and a cow fairy

2007: A bank robber in a vault,
the character Boots (from the show
Dora the Explorer), and a self-designed
orange furry dog with purple ears :)

I'm very much a visual person, so I particularly enjoy the pictorial retrospective. Not only do I love seeing the smiles on my children's faces, but I also love remembering how they've used their creativity, at times, to design their own costumes, or to pull together pieces of two or more costumes to make a unique combination. Childhood can be so full of creativity, even for those who don't consider themselves the artistic or creative type. Halloween provides a way for them to express a different side of themselves each year. In a few years, they will think it's childish to dress up like this... they won't remember how much joy it brings them!

But I will.