The Farr Side: Halloween tradition: It isn’t your age, it’s the moment
“Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat…” That saying may have been fun to say back in the day, but it was always a little creepy-sounding and gross to me.
Chances are, if you were a kid who uttered those words every Halloween then you probably also ran around the house at Christmas hollering, “Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg…”
I think I may have been in third grade before I actually learned the correct words to “Jingle Bells.” (Thank you, Mrs. Gray).
It’s almost Halloween! Take some time and enjoy all the fun things to see and do, like going to a haunted house, doing a corn maze, going on a hayride, throwing a costume party or checking out some new scary flicks. I always loved Halloween, especially trick-or-treating. I loved going door-to-door and seeing my pumpkin fill up with goodies. I can remember feeling particularly excited to get a candy bar.
I carved a jack-o-lantern last year. It was fun. It had to have been more than 40 years since I had done the deed. Cutting in and pulling out the gross innards never appealed to me, but it was always fun after it was done.
Halloween is a good time for some great music. It wasn’t Halloween at my house if I didn’t blast Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” or Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” theme. “Thriller” is the coolest song for this time of year. I still rock it out to this day. I recently learned Vincent Price had never performed the famed rap from Jackson’s “Thriller” live. That boggles my mind considering how big of a superstar Jackson was and the magnitude of his “Thriller” album. But Price had not until he appeared on Joan Rivers’ talk show Feb. 13, 1987. Rivers was as surprised as anyone else would be to learn of that. Of course, Price gave in to her wishes and did the famed rap.
“Monster Mash” is a fun listen, as was trying to sing along with Sheb Wooley: ”It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flying, purple people eater!”
The music side of holidays is fun for me. I have an awesome Halloween playlist on Amazon Music if you would like to take a listen.
Movies like “Hocus Pocus,” “Children Of The Corn,” “Nightmare On Elm Street” and, of course, the “Halloween” films made for lasting memories. “Children Of The Corn” terrified me the most. I think it’s because it seemed like it could be real.
I think it’s cool that “Hocus Pocus 2” and “Halloween Ends” are in theaters. “Hocus Pocus 2” is the sequel to the 1993 hit film starring Bette Midler whereas the Halloween sagas have been making the rounds since 1978. Hopefully, Jamie Lee Curtis finally takes care of Mike Myers.
For me, the original versions of movies like “Invasion of The Body Snatchers,” “The Blob” and “Psycho” are the best. There’s something more elemental about the nostalgic black and white films. The mood is much more intense.
The holidays are meant for making memories and for carrying on traditions we hold dear. It doesn’t matter your age, it’s more about the moment, if you ask me. The older I become, the more fun it is to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. I love to see all the costumes and everybody enjoying themselves. Masks have a way of unifying trick-or-treaters. All you see are the costumes, not who is underneath them. They all share a common goal: candy! Ponder that thought for a moment …
David T. Farr is a Journal correspondent. Email him at farrboy@hotmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Halloween tradition: It isn’t your age, it’s the moment
