Hungry for Halloween

I love Halloween. I have missed it desperately since leaving the US. It is one of my favorite holidays. Although I never liked dressing up in costume, the best part was getting ready for kids to come Trick or Treating at my door. There was never a year that I was not prepared with enough candy to keep a gaggle of dentists busy for the following year.

I adore pumpkins, whole or cut into Jack O' Lanterns. Decades ago, when I was teaching elementary school, my classroom was filled with Halloween décor. That is back in the days when you could share the spirit of fun without someone wanting to sue you. I had a relatively large pumpkin on my desk, but refused to bring a knife to it. I cut out and taped a Jack O’ Lantern face on it. By Thanksgiving, it still was solid enough to recycle into a fat turkey. At Christmas, it transformed into a bulletin board of decorations all taped on to preserve the integrity of the surface. We were not in school for New Years, but by February it was an orange plaything for children’s Valentines and St. Patrick was not to be left out in March. It turned green with shamrocks and other things Irish. Finally, Easter came arrived, so it was finally carved out to hold the Easter eggs the class dyed for our art project. Shortly after Easter, the pumpkin died without a resurrection.
 
Hungary doesn’t celebrate Halloween, so for years now, there has been something missing that filled that inner child’s need for nourishment. One year, I found a pumpkin like I was used to. The Hungarian word for pumpkin usually produces some type of squash. Generally, we call them acorn, winter, or a number of varieties, but not pumpkin.

Finally, the last few years, there have been Halloween costume parties, but I never attend. I am hopelessly waiting for Trick or Treaters at home. They never show up!

It has become easier finding pumpkins year by year. Many of the florists are now selling them too as well as decorative squash. If I found colorful Indian corn, I would really be in heaven.

What I have come across are some Halloween costumes for children in 2nd hand stores. Today, I found some Halloween treats for adults.

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