31 Days of October, Day 17

Date: Halloween 1982.
Location: Midlothian, Va, in the Richmond suburbs
Event: Costume Halloween party

Tonight I had the most delightful phone conversation with my 91-year-old mom who brought up a Halloween party that Mr. Mitchell and I hosted at our house in Midlothian oh-so-many years ago.

It was our pre-kids years and we often hosted parties for friends. That year we had invited everyone over for Halloween, and costumes were, of course, required. You can’t celebrate Halloween in your street clothes.

The music was blaring (we had very understanding neighbors; some were even there), there was a spread of good eats on the dining room table, adult beverages were flowing, and all kinds of costumed characters were dancing in the living room.

For some reason — and all these years later I’m not sure what prompted it — we decided at 10:00 that night to call my parents, who lived about 10 minutes away in Salisbury, to come join us. Many of our friends knew my folks and took turns on the phone trying to talk them into coming to party with us. My parents had already gone to bed and begged off.

We continued the fun when a little while later the doorbell rang. I was in the kitchen and when I looked up an M&M and a “woman” were standing in my living room. Mom had donned a colorful M&M outfit and Mr. Lucy walked in wearing a wig and one of my mother’s older outfits. We howled with laughter.

That was the year many memories were made because they stayed and danced and partied with us. I asked Mom tonight, “How many grown kids want their parents joining them for a party?” Kind of neat and a fun memory of our younger years, and theirs.

Halloween is on a Wednesday night this year and only two weeks away. We will be looking forward to treating the little goblins.

It’s autumn in the Shenandoah Valley….

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell