Tuesday 23 October 2012

Why Dress Up?


My mum shared every family occasion with us, from birthdays to Easter so when she died in 2003 we were left with a terrible void. We were sad every day, but felt it particularly at family celebrations.

My daughter took me out on Mother’s Day that year, driving me round the countryside, just the two of us. At her wedding, I kept thinking my mum should have been there to see her get married. I’m not going to go on about it because anyone who has lost their mum knows that the sadness seems endless.

I don’t know why, but I decided we should all dress up for Halloween and we all set about sorting out costumes. It was just us, the family, at home. We’d never done anything like it before and it seemed to lift us for a while. Here was something that had no memories. It wasn’t a conscious thing, but there you go.



The daft thing is, that over the years it has become one of the things that reminds me of my mum, because it was the first thing we did that had no memories attached.

When I was a child my mum used to go out on her broomstick at Halloween until all the twigs fell out and she was grounded. Well that’s what she told me anyway and as she was a witch, I believed her.

She used to have a little witch hanging up in the front room window and my cousin wrote a poem about her witchery and made it into a little booklet.

So that’s what the dressing up at Halloween is all about anyway. Among others we’ve had the Osbournes, Indiana Jones, Adam Ant, Obi Wan Kenobi, Jack Charlton, Jack Sparrow – and now we have Little People to join in, it’s even better.



And while I was looking for Halloween pictures, I found this one of Sammy – it was taken on a mobile phone and not great, but it is one of my favourite ones of him taken before he got so ill. He couldn’t believe the cheek of the dove sitting on the windowsill right under his nose!



He really was the most easy going, sweet natured cat and that was the only time I ever saw him look cross.

20 comments:

  1. I wish I could share your enthusiasm for fancy dress, but I can't be bothered - isn't that awful? But I just love your cat and the cheek of the pigeon, so near yet so far away. And I thought pigeons had no brains!

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    1. No it's not awful at all, Maggie. I just like pretending to be someone else :-) He was a lovely old cat x

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  2. That's an excellent pumpkin.

    It's odd sometimes the things our minds associate with memories.

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    1. It was my first attempt at carving a pumpkin - we were eating pumpkin pies and pumpkin soups for weeks! They seem to be a lot smaller these days. I don't do them any more because I don't like getting all sticky :-) x

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  3. I think it's lovely how you've established this new family tradition. Long may it continue. I'm sure your mum would have had a ball if she could have been there too.

    One of the local squirrels sometimes jumps right onto our lounge windowsill, next to where Harvey has 'his' chair. Harvey is furious! But the squirrel knows he can't get to him, so he just sits there, looking in, while we are all deafened with barking.

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    1. Oh that is cheeky, Joanne - poor Harvey! Must be infuriating x

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  4. It's good to continue old family traditions and also to start new ones of your own. The pound shop has a wonderful selection of halloween stuff; that's where I got mine from. Enjoy.

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    1. Very true - all family traditions have to start somewhere. I still have a carrier bag full of fake cobwebs complete with plastic spiders that I got from the pound shop :-) Well I HOPE they're plastic and haven't been joined by the real thing x

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  5. I read your story in P.F. today Teresa, it was my tea break, and I had to wipe away the tears reading about the little boy who couldn't speak. That would happen to me if Mum wasn't around, and I'm old myself. There's no-one like a Mum, even when you don't live in each other's pockets, sometimes you have a stronger bond. I love the broomstick story. I bet your Mum's revving up to do a fly over this weekend.xx

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    1. Thanks Sue - I went a bit like that myself. I never found my mum's broomstick, thought I looked everywhere for it. Maybe she took it with her - I like to thinks so x

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  6. Aww, Teresa, you have the knack of making me cry and laugh at the same time. Memories can be so bittersweet.
    Making new ones is good, though.

    xxPat
    woofs for Indy from T&T

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    1. Thank you, Pat and Indy sends woofs to Tim 'n' Ted xx

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  7. Halloween can be such a fun time for families. I think it cheers up dreary autumn nights when it gets dark early. Great to have such good memories of your mum too!

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    1. Yes, you're right - helps take the sting out of the clocks changing and the start of the dark afternoons x

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  8. I can't believe the cheek of that dove either.

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    1. They still sit on the windowsills sometimes - when they're not crashing into the windows! Daft things, but I like them x

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  9. I love your pumpkin! And what fun you've had over the years with your family. Fantastic! x

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    1. Thanks, Maria - I'll be giving the pumpkin a miss this year though :-) x

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  10. Oh lovely Teresa I am sure your mum is so proud of you and your family. I truly believe our beloved departed don't go too far...and I am sure they watch over us...
    Sammy is dear indeed, the photo is priceless :).

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    1. Thank you, Petronela - I like to think they're close by, keeping an eye on us - animals as well as humans x

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