Wednesday, October 31, 2007

holiday fun

I have to admit to being a halloween grump. I discouraged the kids against going out, mostly because it's not well known here and we have been literally screamed at by some older people. Nevertheless, Miles made arrangements to go with a friend and Luisa was going to tag along, but then this friend couldn't go. Miles then arranged to go with his (boy)friends, and Luisa broke into tears because she had no one to go with. So instead of being glad she'd stay home, I started a campaign trying to find a friend for her. Luckily someone turned up and Luisa transformed into a cat and was out the door within 2 minutes.

To "cheer" her up when we at first couldn't find anyone I told her my favorite heart-warming halloween story. I was around six or seven and had spent the afternoon trick-or-treating up and down the lovely tree-lined streets of middle-class America. When I got home with the booty, I spread it out in all its shiny paper glory on the floor of my bedroom. I arranged it in rows, in circles, I made heaps and walls, all the while snacking away. My dad went by my room and told me that was enough - I should put the sweets away and stop eating. I said I would and as quickly forgot the promise, and kept on building, sorting by color, and chomping away. So when he went by again he was furious and stuffed all my candy in a bag and threw it out all over the front lawn. I was crestfallen, but powerless. While I sat crying in my room with the door closed, my sister Lisa snuck out to collect my candy, which she gave back to me, with my dad watching. He doesn't remember this story.

7 comments:

Ash said...

As a kid, my parents didn't celebrate Halloween (or Christmas or birthdays), so I go all out for my kids for all the holidays. I even give Jables a Thanksgiving Day present.

LKD said...

Maybe this is too personal of a question, Ash, but are your parents Jehovah's Witnesses?

I miss Halloween. I mean big bad scary trick or treating in the dark without adult supervision halloween. It's kind of sad to see these costumed kids ringing doorbells on a sunny Sunday afternoon while their parents hover nearby.

Meanwhile, SJ, good god. Your father really doesn't recall that story?

I tend to idealize my father now that he's dead, and I guess I idealized him even when he was alive. But he was just a guy like every other guy. Your story reminded me of when I was a little girl, back when they'd show the Wizard of Oz once a year on tv, and it was a big deal to watch it, and that particular year, Oz was scheduled against a big game, hell, maybe the super bowl although I really can't recall, so my father insisted that he watch the game on the big color tv while my mother, little brother and I huddled around a tiny black and white tv in the basement.

Needless to say, my mother was beyond pissed when my little brother who might've been four or five asked why the yellow brick road wasn't yellow.

(grin)

Good ol' Bob. I keep forgetting he was just a regular guy.

SarahJane said...

ash-
that's sad. it wouldn't be bad if your family was the only family in the world, but when all the other kids are halloweening and waking up early christmas morning, it sucks.

Germany has christmas and new year's of course, but that's about all the overlap with the states there is. Last year I went home for thanksgiving (alone) for the first time in years, and it was very nice.

lkd, i'm sure it's normal to idealize a loved one after s/he dies. all their bullshit behavior fades. My dad, too, is not a bad guy, despite that story. Of course after a recent visit to my brother, we reminisced about how the early seventies our parents took us to plenty of inappropriate movies before we were 10. I remember him taking us to see "The Last Detail," which came out around 1973 (?) so I must have been 9. I remember turning to my Dad and asking "what's a 'cunt?'" He also took us to "Straw Dogs," also 1973, which is pretty much a movie about a gang rape. Oh and my brother recently reminded me about "Prime Cut." Must have been those 60s/70s drugs.

Anonymous said...

At least he didn't make you cut the lawn with a pair of scissors (see a case history in The Road Less Traveled").

What an awesome sister you have though. Most would've eaten it or at least half.

johanna

Andrew Shields said...

My parents took me to "Blow Up" in the early 70s. It was a confused blur in my memory, and when I saw it again as an adult, it was all so familiar.

Valerie Loveland said...

Is that the sister that you just visited?

SarahJane said...

same sister i visited!
same sister as "things my sister taught me"! sister who liked tomatoes and had annoying hiccups and flipped the principal the bird!

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