Halloween Back Then

Before stranger danger, poisoned apples, hidden razor blades and various threats, there was the Halloween of the 50's.  What a exciting time for the children who looked forward to all that sweet booty, and dressing up in disguises.
In our home we had our own unique customs.  There were 8 of us, and buying a costume was prohibitive. Also it was more common in those times to create your own costumes. Reflecting the time period and the TV shows of the time we dressed as cowboys, ghosts, witches, clowns and scarecrows.
Now, here it is how it was in our home. After school we would come home filled with anticipation for the fun of trick or treating. We then set about for the "hunt". We would comb the rooms for the makings of a costume.  Old jewelry, men's jackets, purses, grandma's hats, broom sticks, pillow cases, sheets; all went into a great big pile in the middle of the living room floor. When our "hunt" was completed we used our imaginations to create. I remember one brother dressed up as a fat lady, pillow case under the dress, a small black purse, long hanging beads, and of course lipstick smeared on his lips. It looked hilarious to us.  There was always a witch among us, donned all in black, a broom at her side, and made as scary as  could be. For the youngest among us was there was always  the ghost; an old white sheet with holes cut out for eyes.  I always favored the more dramatic, like an Indian  Princess attired with a feather on a head band, moccasins, and a fringed vest. I even practiced my yells, much to the chagrin of my parents. We also had our hobos' with tattered clothes, and a pole with a pillowcase at one end.  There were clowns and mom would paint our face with her lipstick and eye color and  as we looked at each other we all burst out laughing.
Finally the sun would give up the day and off we would trot into the night. Being the chocoholic that I am, I knew which neighbor gave out Hershey Kisses, and I never skipped that house. Typical treats were popcorn balls, sugar daddy's, lollipops, bubble gum, tootsie rolls and the ubiquitous  candy corn. Our buckets, and bags filled up quickly and when we finished combing the neighborhood we returned home and entered the next chapter of our Halloween fun.  We each raced to our own  beds and dumped our booty on top. We gobbled what ever we good until mom told us to hold up for another day. We also did trading of our precious cargo and I'm guessing I would give double for each of their chocolates. With our stomachs very full, we went to bed, our stash under the bed to attack yet another day.  What a wonderful time to be a child.