HALLOWEEN AND MY FATHER

Left to Right -- my fraternal grandmother, my young father, and my fraternal grandfather

Rosemont Avenue, Berkley, Michigan

Celebrating Halloween when I was young in the forties and fifties was not only celebrated by kids but by my father. The reason being was that he was born on Halloween so our family celebrated the whole month of October with porch pumpkins, cardboard images tacked to our windows of spiders, black witches and cats. Topping it all off was a five foot cardboard skeleton hanging from our front door. We were the most "ready for" Halloween house on our block. 

Today of course houses can be decorated like stage plays with full size plastic devilish figures dancing across yards. 

I took this photo as it closely resembled my memories of Halloween. Not so plastic but imaginative creations.  

 A real spider that I noticed a week ago while checking out an old school. He was travelling across the old porch boards probably choosing a place to hide where he could jump out and scare children on Halloween night. Of course I enlarged him in Lightroom

This house would have made a great haunted house for us kids to scream and run through and maybe a few adults too (like my father).

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS . . .

Standing is James, my father. 
His baby brother sits in the highchair. 

. . . and all through the house. 

With James in his knickers and I in my chair

we stood and we sat with greatest of care.

When out on the lawn we heard some prancing

It so moved James that he quickly started dancing.

I'm attempting to move myself into the Christmas mood today by sorting through some of my old Christmas photos while making up the above silly little ditty for this post. The 1916 photo above is of my father, James, when he was about four. The family had just moved to Detroit so his father (my grandfather) could begin working at Henry Ford's manufacturing plant.

This photo was taken about 100 years ago. As I look at it I smile at the small pine tree lacking the traditional electric lights -- a sheet acting as a tree skirt wrapping its base -- the tree's tinsel chain winding past a few large glittery ornaments, and the calendar hanging on the wall along with my great-grandfather's picture. A lone children's book sits under the tree. I wonder if the book was a gift my father received for Christmas? 

I am especially thinking of my father today. He gave me the greatest of gifts  --  kindness and love.

Happy Holidays to all.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

pumpkins sitting on a fence in Madison County, Kentucky

My favorite holiday -- was also my father's birthday. 

Thirty-five years ago -- my father with my two sons 

Erik on the left and Kirk on the right.