Tree Masks

Seeing this photo reminded me of the first time I really went all-out on the Halloween display. That was the first year I skipped on trick-or-treating, so I was young and the haunt was pretty terrible. I remember digging through a box of costumes and decorations that my family had accumulated over the years. It was loaded with masks - decaying latex masks we sported on past Halloweens, and those cheapie plastic ones with the stapled strap. My parents' massive spruce tree went straight to the ground back in those days (never figured out why my father trimmed the branches up about seven feet, but it helps with my haunt so I'm cool with it). My brother and I decided to hang the masks all over the full tree, like weird Halloween face ornaments. It looked as lame and gaudy as it sounds - like a dog digging a hole and instead of dirt flying in the tree behind him it's just a bunch of Halloween masks.

A year later, we added some pumpkins and some webs, and a stuffed dummy that had that lovely "I'm melting" dummy look to it that I love (head leaning forward into its chest, flat thighs holding up a chest with no stomach). We probably had some other things I'm forgetting right now, probably for the better. I do remember that it was exciting. I remember being a little embarrassed too. I was always a shy kid and this was a little extroverted for my tastes. There was a classmate who came to the house for candy. I never hung around with him, but we knew each other from school. I think he was probably feeling out of sorts since I had bailed on getting treats and was now handing them out instead. He yelled back as he left "THIS HOUSE SUCKS!"

The rat bastard was probably right.



Image source.