I'm a Horrible Ghost!

One of my favorite movies is Meet Me in St. Louis - especially around Halloween. There's a wonderful Halloween sequence that shows the holiday the way it used to be, back when pianos had rollers and the mid-west was a giant Norman Rockwell painting. The kids wore goofy outfits culled together from old cast-off clothes and hats, and were simply banshees. There wasn't any trick or treating, but a lot of rampant naughtiness went on, to the tune of bonfires and flour-throwing.

Dirty faces, raggy clothes, dilapidated hats, and burning junk - it seems to be enough to fuel the innocent imagination, which is really what it's all about. That, and being named "The Most Horrible" by all the kids.

Katie: Agnes, I thought you were a drunken ghost.

Agnes: But I am! Tootie's a horrible ghost and I'm a terrible drunken ghost!

Tootie: She was murdered in a den of thieves, and I died of a broken heart. I've never even been buried because everyone's scared to come near me!

After all the carousing, the night finishes with a big slice of cake and ice cream from the drug store. And doesn't that sound better than stale candy and cold pizza? I do wish Halloween were still this simple and fun!