Most Memorable Halloween Attire? Do Tell.
Ms. Megan as a Villa di Maria student, celebrating Halloween, standing in what is NOW her very own classroom. Can't. Beat. That.Megan Eilers:A rock star!Justin Shepard:My mom took me to see Phantom of the Opera when I was eight, and I decided I had to be the Phantom for Halloween. My mom made me a cape, and I ended up trick-or-treating at my teacher's house and singing for her.*Justin, we're slotting time for you at the VdM Holiday Concert in December. You'll be the grand finale. Mask and cape a must.Heather Steinman:My mom (or my grandma?) made me a Peter Pan costume that I wore two years in a row if I remember correctly. I LOVE PETER PAN! There were some slippers made out of a felt material. I lived in upstate New York, and I remember walking through snow one of the years. Frozen feet were a small price to pay for some candy! :)
Mrs. JenteJess Jente:I was a bowl of salad once! The above photo is not my beloved salad costume, but dang- that's a cute black cat!*Annnnnd. We still want to see the salad. Mary Eilers:Dressing up for Halloween as a child was a long time ago for me! We (I have three sisters and one brother) made our costumes from things around the house. We were generally either a witch or a hobo. We did not celebrate Halloween at school, so no costumes were worn there. I really mostly remember being very cold and bummed that I usually had to wear a coat over my costume. I don't remember ever seeing a picture of myself or siblings in costume. :) It was always fun, but it was not the huge deal it is these days.Hilary Lord:Wonder Woman! Four years in a row!Robyn Milos:Annie in 1981
Ms. Rebecca. AKA "Cat Woman"Rebecca Callander:My favorite Halloween costume? Cat woman. Hands down. I loved cats. Although, I should mention that I did win first place in a costume contest for being a Victorian lady once- cool costume, but not a cat. And, one year I was a ski bum and carried a pair of vintage 1980 cross country skis around neighborhoods. Way too heavy. And, then there was the year I decided to be the universe with two of my friends. Um, yeah. * A committed Halloween-goer to the core! Impressive!Maria Burr:A 50's girl with a poodle skirt
Ms. Melinda as a little cat 
And, Ms. Melinda as Nathan's ghost buster!Melinda Smith:I don't really remember any of my costumes as a kid, but my favorite Halloween costume was Nathan's first Halloween (he was almost 11 months). He was the ghost; I was the ghost buster.Jessie Braud:No picture, sadly, but my favorite costume as a kid would be when I dressed up as Zorro!Meg Mottl:My most memorable costume made me miserable.In Kindergarten, my parents forced me to be an enormous present, which I did NOT choose, I did NOT make NOR was I allowed to touch until October 31st. I was stuffed into a television-sized wrapped-and-ribboned box, made to wear thick red tights and black shiny shoes and topped with a shiny, many-looped red bow tied under my chin. I begged not to go to to school for the Kindergarten parade. No luck. My teacher placed me at the end of the line as I took up too much space and would have blocked the onlookers' views of the other children. The other teachers giggled at me, thinking my costume cute. My cheeks burned bright red. :/I pleaded not to go trick-or-treating that night. No such luck. I trudged along the sidewalks with my arms stuck straight out the arm holes of the box, perpendicular to the ground (cardboard chafes, people). I walked and pouted but would not go up to any door. My pumpkin remained empty. Woe was I. Sniff. (Never been a fan of Halloween. I'm blaming that present.)
Ms. SophieSophie Andre:There is no Halloween celebration in France although we have Carnaval that would match with Mardi Gras. I have been a Chinese girl (above), Little Red Riding Hood, a gypsy and a little girl dressed in a traditional South of France costume.* Sophie. Your little face is edible.Karolina Hanus:We also don't celebrate Halloween in Poland and have Carnival instead. :) And, guess what? I was once Red Riding Hood as well. I also remember being a little ballerina, a snow queen and Princess Jasmine. There is no big story hidden behind Carnival in Poland. Technically, it is connected to the Church's calendar. It's a festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent, but it is more a reason for children to have a little fun. Children have a party at preschool or school, wear costumes and dance. Everything happens inside. I checked- the average temperature when I was 3 years old was around 5 degrees F during the winter, which would explain why I was dressed as a snow queen!Danielle Cavalari:We don't celebrate Halloween in Brazil either, but we wear costumes for Carnaval. (Picture coming soon!)Cristina Kerr:I grew up in Romania where Halloween is not a traditional celebration. I have heard of people who have parties and dress up for it, but I never have.*Note to VdM community: Cristina and her husband need an invite to a real-deal Halloween bash complete with decked-out costumes, gummy eyeballs, slimy spaghetti "brains," orange-and-black streamers, creepy decorations, spooky sound effects and fake yard tombstones. Anna Schwind:Like Sophie, I was raised in a culture where Halloween was not celebrated. I did not dress up as anything as a child, and there exist no pictures of me dressed up as anything as a child. One time my mom gave me Princess Leia style hairbuns but just because I was a Star Wars fan and my hair was long enough- not in celebration of a holiday. I don't even think it was October.This may be why Halloween is one of my favorite holidays now. Also like Sophie, we celebrated Carnival (Carnaval), but that mostly involved water balloons. Not so much costumes.*Who would like to see a Princess Leia Schwind this Halloween?!
And, as required memorization for all of our Villa di Maria families, we'll leave you with the lyrics to a VdM Primary Fave (a veritable classic) to get you in the spooky spirit for the month of October.
"What Do Witches Eat?"
What do witches eat?What do witches have for a treat?Who knows?I've never been asked to join in their bunch when witches eat their lunch.Rat tail soup and moldy cheese,Spider salad just might please.Or do they eat witchy things likebat belly jelly on toast?(that's gross!)What do witches eat?What do witches have for a treat?Who knows?I've never been asked to pull up a seatwhen witches sit and eat!