Question Of The Day, Wednesday, September 27, 2017

[Margret]

Mamanyt1953 is taking a bit of a break while she does some cleaning and computer maintenance, so she's asked me to post today's Question of the day.

As far as I can tell by what I see in stores (and totally ignoring what the calendar says), it would appear that Halloween must be this weekend and Christmas next weekend, totally skipping over Thanksgiving day . So today's question is about Halloween.

Do you typically wear a Halloween costume? If so, have you already purchased or made this year's costume, and what is it?

I haven't bothered with Halloween costumes since I got too old to Trick or Treat, and have no intention of changing that practice this year. However, if I did need a Halloween costume for some reason I'd pick something cheap, something that mostly requires only items I already have. Basically, that means that I'd go as a hippie -- tie-dye shirt, maxi skirt, flip-flops. I'd let my hair hang down around my shoulders and make sure there was no curl in it; I'd string some "love beads" to wear; I might embroider a peace symbol to use as a pendant with the love beads. I'd wear bangly earrings and a mood ring (yes, I actually have a mood ring, believe it or not).

For bonus points (I know -- we aren't keeping score) you can tell us why Halloween=Christmas. Note: that equals sign is a clue; this is a math question.

Margret

 

[jcat]

Halloween isn't a big thing in Germany unless you're a teenager and like to party, so no. We get very few (or no) trick or treaters; usually they're neighbors' kids who know I'm American and they won't be ringing the doorbell in vain.

Stores here had Christmas baked goods out in late August, but I haven't seen any Halloween candy yet.

 

[Winchester]

No Halloween costumes here

 

[neely]

I wear a cute black beanie with cat eyes, ears and a tail along with a blinking spider pin on Halloween but only because the students at school like it. Ok, maybe I like it too.

 

[Kat0121]

No Halloween costumes here

Here either

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I never had a Halloween costume and don't want one.

 

[DreamerRose]

We had a Halloween party at work one year, and I made a Robin Hood costume to wear, complete with bow and arrow, green jerkin, tights, hat and feather, and a fake mustache. It was a big hit and I wore it for several years afterwards for the trick or treaters. Until I outgrew it.

 

[sivyaleah]

No costume. Love giving out candy to neighborhood kids if I'm home but not into dressing the part.

 

[betsygee]

We had Halloween parties here a couple of times. I dressed up as the goddess Kali one time (gruesome!) and once as Queen Elizabeth. But we haven't done that in years.

I haven't seen a trick or treater around here in the 20 years we've lived here. It's a hilly neighborhood and probably too much work for a kid to walk up the hill for a piece of candy or two.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
I've worn the same Crazy Cat Person costume every day for almost sixty years - street clothes covered in cat hair.

For bonus points (I know -- we aren't keeping score) you can tell us why Halloween=Christmas. Note: that equals sign is a clue; this is a math question.

Spoiler: This can't be it, can it?

?? OCT(al)31 / DEC(imal)25 ?? [2 tens and a five; Base 10=3 eights and a one; Base 8]

 

[kashmir64]

Don't do Halloween here. But I do have a t-shirt with a Dalmatian puppy in a pumpkin that I wear this time of year.

 

[foxxycat]

well sometimes if I am in the mood I will do make up like a cat. Did Jon up as a blue tiger-blue hair spray and his blue eyes looked really cute...Did this years ago-we went to a Halloween party at some bar..we didn't win but it was fun. I haven't been good about planning anything out-usually I need to order the paints for face painting and it's hard to find decent face paint like the theaters use. I guess I got to picky. I am not good at designing costumes. I know other people dress up..I think about every year but don't actually do it.

Last year the trick o treaters were interesting. one dad made a tomb and his daughter rode in it as he pushed the 2 wheeler around. it was a wooden box and really original. I took some photos and they are on my computer some where...always interested in what people design..but me I don't have much creativity.

I can't answer the math question=the stores are loco crazy to put stuff out too early.

here's Floey saying "go away trick o treaters- get your candy and SCRAM!"

 

[Margret]

I will, of course, post the answer to the math question before I go to bed tonight. Here's a further hint -- I believe I first found this in one of Isaac Asimov's short mystery stories.

We used to get a lot of trick-or-treaters where we live, and for a time we had the most popular house on the block at Halloween because the kids knew that we handed out quarters instead of candy (parents feel no need to have coins X-rayed for possible razor blades, and the kids can get whatever they like with the money, plus which we have no trouble using up whatever is left over), but there are fewer kids in the neighborhood now and more and more parents are taking their children to the mall instead. I don't think there have been any costumed children ringing our door bell for the last five years, at least. Too bad. I liked handing out quarters at Halloween. We still get a roll of quarters every year just in case, though, and leave the porch light on.

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

THANK YOU MARGRET! I'm finally here.

Costume...not really. I wear a black tee shirt and black jeans and throw on a witch's hat when someone knocks on the door. I used to go all-out making costumes for my boys when they were little. One year, they were bats, and I made a
belfry costume for their dad. One wild year, the younger was a cockroach and the older was a can of Raid. THAT one made the papers. Then there was Jaws 1 and Jaws 2. And a HOST of others. I have more fun making them for others than I ever did wearing them.

When I worked at the hospital, I did costumes for a doctor and his wife. Camo hat and shirt with scrub pants for him, camo hat and pants and scrub top for her. They were an upper and lower GI!

 

[denice]

I don't do anything for Halloween. I live in an apartment complex so no trick or treaters. I always looked at Halloween as a kid's holiday and the kid's are grown and on the own now. They take their kids trick or treating but they don't live in the same area that I live in.

Thanksgiving does seem to have gotten lost. A friend of mine will go on a rant about that because Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday. She has a large family that lives in the same area so there is always a big Thanksgiving dinner that everyone comes to. It's the only time of the year that the entire family gets together.

 

[arouetta]

We always have candy and we always end up disappointed. Last year I think we had three groups of trick or treaters. Yeah, only three. Out of all the townhouses in view, the only ones with porch lights on were us and one other, no wonder trick or treaters passed us by.

The last few years I haven't done a costume....okay the last lot of years. I don't feel inclined to if I'm not getting trick or treaters. My best one was when my daughter was under two, I got the absolutely cheapest nightgown I could find, a toy knife that I cut the tip off, lots of fake blood and a scar makeup kit. It said I could either paint over it to make my face look gruesome, or I could put it over makeup as it was clear and would give a glistening look. I did the latter, and I looked like a fresh burn victim. I put the gown on, attached the knife against my chest so it looked like I had been stabbed, lots of fake blood on my face and chest. Total price was under $20. And wow did I freak kids out. The best were the two boys between 10-14. I opened the door, they screamed. And since I was on the second floor, they literally jumped down the entire length of the stairs. Not ran, jumped. Their mother was at the bottom and she was laughing hysterically over their reaction.

If I ever have my own house, I want to do it up like one guy did every year my daughter was little. The whole front yard was a graveyard, 3 or 4 animatronics like ghosts and skeletons, and he was dressed up sitting next to a bubbling cauldron that had to have dry ice in it...or a really good steam generator.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

We always have candy and we always end up disappointed.

arouetta - These two things are mutually exclusive; you either have candy, or you are disappointed. One cannot have candy and be disappointed, unless you've simply bought the wrong kind of candy!


.

 

[arouetta]

arouetta - These two things are mutually exclusive; you either have candy, or you are disappointed. One cannot have candy and be disappointed, unless you've simply bought the wrong kind of candy!


.

Lol. Unfortunately the logic of your statement works the other 364 days of the year (plus one on Leap Year), but my whole goal on Halloween is to give away most of the candy and see all the cute little kids in their cute little costumes. A full bowl and lack of children by the end of trick or treat hours is a major disappointment to me.

 

[DreamerRose]

I get fewer and fewer trick or treaters every year, and like everyone here, I enjoy seeing them and talking about their costumes. I still have candy leftover from last year that I will hand out this year. It's some kind of sweet/sour gummies shaped like tiny hamburgers. The kids love it, but I don't.

 

[muffy]

We always have candy and we always end up disappointed. Last year I think we had three groups of trick or treaters. Yeah, only three. Out of all the townhouses in view, the only ones with porch lights on were us and one other, no wonder trick or treaters passed us by.

The last few years I haven't done a costume....okay the last lot of years. I don't feel inclined to if I'm not getting trick or treaters. My best one was when my daughter was under two, I got the absolutely cheapest nightgown I could find, a toy knife that I cut the tip off, lots of fake blood and a scar makeup kit. It said I could either paint over it to make my face look gruesome, or I could put it over makeup as it was clear and would give a glistening look. I did the latter, and I looked like a fresh burn victim. I put the gown on, attached the knife against my chest so it looked like I had been stabbed, lots of fake blood on my face and chest. Total price was under $20. And wow did I freak kids out. The best were the two boys between 10-14. I opened the door, they screamed. And since I was on the second floor, they literally jumped down the entire length of the stairs. Not ran, jumped. Their mother was at the bottom and she was laughing hysterically over their reaction.

If I ever have my own house, I want to do it up like one guy did every year my daughter was little. The whole front yard was a graveyard, 3 or 4 animatronics like ghosts and skeletons, and he was dressed up sitting next to a bubbling cauldron that had to have dry ice in it...or a really good steam generator.

That's funny. My neighbor did exactly the same thing. He played in a band and he had scary music coming from speakers and his wife would dress up like a skeleton. He scared one little boy so much he peed his pants on my steps.

I have not worn a costume since 3rd grade. I gave out candy for years but stopped when I had cats because all the kids scared my cats. My cats were formal feral.

Muffy