Halloween is usually a fun time for families, right? It’s a time when you go out of your way to make sure your children have fun and are safe. Here is a story about a practical joke that was intended for kids, but backfired on me, as a young mother, and today my kids still crack up when they talk about it!
As my children were growing up, we always went all-out on Halloween costumes and makeup, plus we spent a few days making goodies and doing crafts. It was such a fun time for us to spend together as a family.
New neighborhood
That year, we had just moved into a new neighborhood, and so as tradition would have it, we all dressed up in our costumes (including me) and headed down the street. It was a very long street, with dozens of large, expensive houses on each side, so it took hours to make the journey. We could see lots of other children walking along like dark shadows in the night. Most were in large groups and some had flashlights in their hands.
The really great thing about our new neighborhood was that is was very popular on Halloween night. People from all over the Boise Valley would drive their children to this area for trick-or-treating. Why?
Because there were many older type mansions that were always decorated elaborately for the holiday and children would make out like bandits because they got boat-loads of candy there. It had a reputation.
They called it Harrison Boulevard and anyone in Boise, Idaho is familiar with this neighborhood and the crazy crowds that still gather there on Halloween night.
So, there I was with my three children, ages 4, 9, and 12, all dressed up and making the long walk down the boulevard. We were carrying our flashlights and ready to roll in candy and fun.
A spooky mansion
Then we came to one of the spookiest looking mansions on the street. It was a large, Victorian type of house about three stories tall, and must have had about a dozen bedrooms. Big and scary. Perfect. Strangely enough it was very darkly lit, even though it was decorated with lots of Halloween lights and figures and everything was draped in spider webs and bats and such.
Many children were visiting this house, so it was now our turn to check it out. We walked slowly up the sidewalk and up the steep stairs onto a very large open air porch.
The mannequin by the door
After a couple of minutes, we noticed something unusual. They had set a scarecrow mannequin in a chair near the door, and the stiff had a large bowl of candy in it’s lap, with a sign that read, “make sure to only take one candy bar for each child.”
I was irritated and so I spouted out loudly for everyone to hear, “Will you just look at this?!” These people are too lazy to even open their door to hand out candy. I can’t believe it!”
Then, my children came up and sheepishly took their pieces of candy from the bowl. But, I was completely disgusted at the situation.
Then, all of a sudden the scarecrow figure came to life!!! “What do you think you’re doing?,” he said.
Shocked and screaming
I was so shocked, that I screamed out a loud one……………..aaaaaaawwwwwwww!...... because that thing had it's eyes open, and it had not moved at all while we were there! It looked fake because it didn't even blink!
It scared me half to death!
After we realized the mannequin was real, my kids started laughing and didn’t stop for hours about how mom was fooled by the scarecrow.
What a great trick that was, and such an original idea to pretend to be a mannequin, just to get a reaction from kids (and anyone else). He never moved a muscle and his eyes were wide open!
Embarrassment
Well, that guy’s trick worked on me like a charm. I was completely freaked out by what happened. It was going to take more than a massage and aromatherapy to calm me down. But most of all, I was embarrassed afterward that I had complained so much. I doubt if I even took one bite of candy, because I felt so guilty about what I had said.
The neighborhood certainly lived up to its reputation as the best place to be on Halloween night and gave us a scary trick we will never forget! Plus, the kids had plenty of candy to keep them happy for many days to come. It was a fun memory we will treasure forever!
Photo Credit: Mid Atlantic Center for Arts and Humanities at Flickr
