Halloween Nostalgia

Do you have those vivid memories from your childhood- ones that seemed so special or that made you so happy- that they almost seem magical? It's funny, the things that stick out in our minds. Often times, it's the little things that we hold so dear- Things that our families thought went unnoticed or sometimes things so small that only you remember even happened. In reality, these moments probably weren't all that spectacular- maybe just romanticized and exaggerated over the years of remembering- but in the end, just the remembering in and of itself is special. Our ability- after so many years, so many heartbreaks, so many failures and disappointments- to see and feel these memories exactly as we experienced them as children is really something magical.

When I look back into my file of such memories, I always find Halloween and the annual Halloween dinner parties that my family threw. We were living at our old house on Franklin Street, where I spent the majority of my childhood. Every Halloween, Mama and Daddy would invite all their friends over for chili and martinis. The children would have dinner first- always Mama's chili and Suggie's broccoli cornbread (just about the most delicious thing on earth!). After dinner, we were off to trick-or-treat with whoever our parents had managed to con into taking us that year. One year it was even Mr. Estes, a teacher from our school. I still feel sorry for him about that one. Once we returned home, our bags filled with candy and our parents filled with martinis, everyone was happy.

One of these Halloween dinner parties stands out in particular. Mama had gone all out on decorations that year. The formal dining room at the Franklin Street house was beautiful. An enormous chandelier hung above the heavy, beautifully sculpted dining room table. The chairs were big (or maybe they just seemed that way then) and were upholstered in a heavy, light-blue fabric. Starting in the chandelier, Mama spread fake spider webs to form a sort of mosquito-net-like sheath over the table, attaching the webbing to the back of each chair. She even went as far as placing little plastic spiders all over the webbing. I was beyond thrilled.

I remember being so excited to go into that room that night. It was special to get to have dinner in there. Don't get me wrong. Our house wasn't one of those where children aren't allowed in certain rooms for the parents' fear of antiques being destroyed. It just wasn't where we normally sat down for dinner each night. Sitting in that big chair, under that magnificent spider web with all of my friends, eating my chili from Mama's good china instead of my normal soup bowls, with the big chandelier glowing as though it were hung just for us beneath the web- that is my special memory.

I felt special. And proud. With just a few bags of cheap plastic spider web, she had created a whole other world just for us, and as corny as it sounds, it was really pretty magical. Although my life is very different now than it was back then, I still make chili and broccoli cornbread (and maybe a few dirty martinis) every Halloween and remember that special night beneath the spider web.

Even though we're all grown up now, maybe it's good for us to look back every now and then, recognize the tough times, accept them for what they are, and cherish the wonderful times with as much joy as we did as children.

My decorations for the dining room table at this year's Halloween dinner party

I would love to hear some of your favorite memories, so leave a comment!

Click HERE for Mama's Chili recipe

Click HERE for Suggie's Broccoli Cornbread recipe

Enjoy!

Napoleon's Frog Prince Halloween costume

Sweet Sarah Grace Rowe in her 2nd costume of the night

Sarah Stubblefield, Caroline Wills and me as the Powerpuff Girls on Senior Dress Up Day at Randolph

Sarah Stubblefield, Maggie Oliver and me as contestants from Legends of the Hidden Temple

(the Purple Parrots were always may favorite!)