I know it sounds weird but lipstick was my favorite Halloween costume.  I didn't care what I dressed up as so long as lipstick was involved.  See, I grew up during the 50's when the standard, at least what I saw on my friends' mothers and women in the movies was really, really, really RED lipstick.  And in those days, little girls didn't get to wear make-up under any circumstances, except of course -- on Halloween.

Here are some of the costumes I had in my young hey-day:

• Annie Oakley with a silver-plated plastic six-shooter with a pearl handle -- and lipstick
• A bumble bee with sequins -- and lipstick
• A princess -- with lipstick
• A witch -- with lipstick
• A flying monkey (wearing my costume from my role in the Wizard of Oz play at school)  -- with lipstick
• A bunny rabbit (recycled from my flying monkey costume) -- with lipstick
• A gypsy (I hate now to think of the many years I dressed up as a negative ethnic stereotype) -- with lipstick
• Morticia from The Addams Family -- with lipstick and
• A lot of others I can't even remember -- with lipstick.

The goal was always to try to sneak past my mother's vigilant eye at the end of the Halloween activities and go to bed with my lipstick still on.  That way, I figured, I could make an entrance the next day at school with an intriguing new aura of sophistication emanating from my faded, smeared but still very red lipstick from the night before.  It never happened.

As soon as we hit the house after trick-or-treating, Mom whipped out the big jar of cold cream.  If memory serves, the brand name of the goop she used was called "Albolene" and when Mom was done smearing it all over my face, there was no trace of lipstick to be found -- always one of the low points of my childhood.

The residual of those memories of past Halloween lingers on in my long-time practice of wearing lipstick almost always.  These days my lipstick may not be red but I never leave home without it. 

Today there will be a lot of us Baby Boomers sitting around remembering when Halloween was just about fun.  I don't know why it was so different in the 50's and 60's but our parents didn't worry about sending us out to trick-or-treat.  The only rule at our house was no eating unwrapped candy.  I think, though, it was more to do with Mom's concerns about germs than the possibility of someone poisoning us or sticking in a razor blade.  For those of us with memories of the good old days, Halloween was much safer and far simpler. 

Muley (yes, he's a guy) from Muley's World remembers, as do I, that:

Back in those innocent days of the 1960s, Halloween had not yet gained the violent, ugly and overall negative connotations it has today. Parents accompanied toddlers trick-or-treating, but they thought nothing of sending their costumed elementary school children out into the neighborhood alone or with a group of friends, armed with nothing but an empty bag and a flashlight (which rarely if ever got used).

And Norma from Random Stitches recalls:

When I was growing up, there were no store bought costumes. Sure some kids had fancy costumes that someone made but for the most part, you just put together what was around the house. Gypsy ladies were common as well as Cowboys and Cowgirls. I remember being a Gypsy more than once with an old skirt of my mom's, a scarf on my head and hoop earrings. I got to wear makeup and that made it all fine!

You got that right Norma!!  And from Traci over at Living the Good Life:

My favorite Halloween memories include when we would go camping with the entire extended family. All of the campers would decorate their campers, tents and cabins. There was a hot dog dinner, trick or treating and a haunted trail. The best decorated would win a free weekend of camping. Of course, we NEVER won that one.....but we had fun.

This Halloween I'm making some new memories by dressing up as "auntie" to Peanut, my four-year old niece.  I heard through the grapevine that Peanut will be appearing at my house later today as a "diva pumpkin fairy" with wings, a faux fur jacket, faux fur boots with silver trim and many layers underneath to keep her warm here on a chilly Michigan Halloween. 

I gather Peanut had final decision-making authority over her costume.  But when she comes over to trick-or-treat, she and I will add that special final touch to both of our costumes -- lipstick.  After all, it's a family tradition!

What's your favorite Halloween memory?

Karen aka Midlife Muse

Always writing over at Midlife's A Trip and as Contributing Editor on Midlife Issues at Blogher.  Happy Halloween!