Meredith’s Musings | October Surprise

article by Meredith McKinnie

Can you smell that crisp, fall air on its way? It’s hard still battling 90-degree temps, but my body can sense it. Fall has always been my favorite season as the holidays are approaching. Before having kids, I wouldn’t have counted Halloween in that category. I’m not a horror movie fan, despite the groans from the young people. I don’t find the spooky season a reason to decorate. Frankly, Halloween has always kind of given me the creeps. I didn’t grow up in a Halloween household. I remember getting off the bus midweek, running to Mom and saying I needed a costume for trick-or-treating that night, as the event had snuck up on me. Provided the options of a white sheet (ghost) or my dad’s holey overalls, I chose to go as my dad. What can I say – originality, perhaps? My then-curly hair peeked out of the sides of Dad’s trucker hat, askew atop my head. I still chuckle when I come across that picture.

My parents weren’t anti-Halloween. You know the pics that remind you that your parents were a couple before they were just your parents? One of those pics sat on a table, with that late-70s sheen. Mom and Dad are dressed as Raggedy Ann and Andy. I remember thinking they looked happy in the photo. Dad always made Mom laugh, and as a result, Dad married out of his league. But other than that pre-parenting photo, not much emphasis on Halloween. I don’t remember carving pumpkins (sorry, Mom, if we did) or lining up scary films to watch, though we did attend Halloween carnivals.

As an adult, I realized I am in the minority. I missed the Halloween craze. My friends now go nuts about it, sometimes discussing their costumes before they have a place to wear them. We dress up as a department at work and encourage our students to do the same. My friend Rebekah goes all out. Her metamorphosis to Danny Devito’s version of the Penguin from Batman would warrant an invite to one of Heidi Klum’s famous costume parties. It seems to me the adults and parents love the day as much, if not more so, than the kids do. Dressing up is fun. It’s a form of self-expression, social commentary, and provokes laughs. It lightens the mood, and we all can use more of that.

In 2017, when we only had Wilder, just a few months old, we grabbed one of those skeleton onesies. Husband and I didn’t participate, just toted Wilder to the houses she visited regularly anyway and posed for pictures. In 2018, we dressed Wilder up as RBG, the Supreme Court justice. She toddled around in this black graduation robe that skirted the floor with obnoxiously large, black-framed glasses. I wore one of my graduation robes, presenting as Sandra Day O’Connor – a nod towards bipartisanship. Since Fable came along, we’ve gradually upped the ante. 2019 featured an aerobics instructor (Wilder’s nod to my mom) and a ballerina (a busy week and an easy costume); 2020 saw a butterfly (Wilder’s obsession with wings) and a dinosaur (because Fable didn’t know enough to care). In 2021, we got serious and dressed Wilder as Cruella de Vil. Picture big, dramatic, radically-parted, black-and-white hair and a Dalmatian-patterned fabric-turned cape. Then at only 4, Wilder played the part perfectly, even braving a British accent – “Dreadful, darling – perfectly wretched.” The next year Wilder wowed everyone with Dolly Parton – the kid may have a future in televangelism – and Fable donned a Willie Nelson to rival all Willie-wannabes. I used mascara to get the quintessential beard, and Fable’s naturally-stoned- looking stare sealed the deal. Last year we chose glamour – Wilder as Marilyn Monroe and Fable as Audrey Hepburn. I realized Fable had always played the sidekick and needed to be a star, especially after she only requested, “Mom, this year can I be a girl?”

So, what do we have planned for 2024? Well, you’ll have to wait and see, but I’ll give you a hint. Think retro, scary cinema. Halloween is a time for make believe and childlike fun. I say lean in – makeup, masks, and all.