I may be a bitch, but never a witch

I thought this was an appropriate post for the week before Halloween. When I was about 6, my grandmother decided to try her hand at making my Halloween costume. She went through a "crafty" phase after retirement. She learned to crochet, knit, leather work, fake flower arrangements, etc. My grandfather spoiled her, so she had all the big, fancy and expensive sewing machines. 

Anyway, she got this idea to make me a witch costume for Halloween. I don't even remember if it was originally her idea or mine for me to be a witch. So this witch costume, was made out of some type of shiny vinyl. It had reflector tape all around the bottom of the witch skirt. It had cutesy pumpkin stickers all over it, including the hat. It had reflective, swirly embellishments all over it. You could spot me from 3 miles away! This was not a witch costume that I wanted to wear. Witches are supposed to be scary, or at least normal looking. This costume was hideous!!! What can a 6 year old really say? No grandma, your hard work and efforts to make this costume for me were a waste of time because I'm and ungrateful child. So I wore the damn thing. 

The next Halloween rolls around. I talk about what I want to be for Halloween. Guess what? The witch costume still fits. Yep, you guessed it. I was a witch, again! Oh, the embarrassment at school. I was a grown woman of 7 at that point. I was in not only a nauseatingly "cute" witch costume, it was obviously homemade and from last year! My parents refused to buy me something different, so what's the alternative? No costume at all? 

My Halloween of 8, and the costume still fits. Will this thing not go away?!? At this point I was ripping off the cutesy stickers and reflective tape, hoping to "ruin" the costume so that I didn't have to wear it. No such luck. I was a witch, with no reflective tape, and only a few pumpkin stickers. My fate as an outcast at school was already sealed. This is why I will never, ever dress as a witch for Halloween. 

There were several years where I didn't have a costume at school because my parents were too cheap to buy me one. I usually ended up with whatever was cheapest, and left on Halloween Day at Kmart. Unless some neighbor or friend offered to take me trick or treating with their kids, my parents thought my joy should have been handing out candy. 

Yep, Halloween was one of the many holidays that my parents ruined for me. This is why I go all out for my kids on Halloween. I let them pick whatever they want. We decorate the house, and the yard. We have a full on graveyard in the front yard every year. They love it and are proud to show off their cool Halloween house every year to their friends. I have never offered to make a costume for the kids, even if I was broke. I made it happen for them, one way or the other. This year my daughter actually ASKED me to make her costume. I tried to talk her out of it, lol. She fell in love with these sequined horns and tail, so I agreed to make the costume around it. She was so excited that she was able to help make the tutu. 

Here it is. Not too bad if I do say so myself. I hope my kids grow up with awesome Halloween memories and never write a blog on how their mom ripped them off of good memories.