Halloween birthday blowout

As all people who have birthdays on holidays know, there are good points as well as drawbacks. Through out my life, my birthday has always had an air of anticipation, excitement and no lack of parties and candy.

Halloween also is my birthday.

As a child, though, it was hard to squeeze in both a birthday party and trick-or-treating. When my children were little, it was a challenge getting them ready for trick-or-treating and answering phone calls from family. If everyone called, I easily received five long-distance greetings. However, over the years the evening has grown less hectic, to the point where nowadays it can be downright quiet, especially if we turn the porch light off to discourage trick-or-treaters.

A family friend in Cooper Landing carved my first Halloween jack-o-lantern — a large, hollowed out homegrown turnip. He put a candle in it, took it outside and “walked” it along the window ledge for my enjoyment, or so I have been told.

Before we had children, my husband always made sure I had a carved Halloween pumpkin. Afterward, he helped me cut them up, steam, smash and freeze them for pumpkin pies. We toasted the seeds, too. When our son got old enough, he delighted in taking over the carving process. Sometimes he created whole families of jack-o-lanterns.

When I was in first grade in Seward, my mom finally allowed me to go trick-or-treating with my friends. I had such great fun dressed as a princess and arrived back home with a bag overflowing with candy. Mom and dad were giving out homemade treats that year and they underestimated the number of children who would knock on our door. I was asked to share my abundance, which I did. Giving away some of the candy I had just received made a lasting impression on me. Even after sharing, though, I still had enough to eat one piece a day for over two months!

When my kids were young, the Halloween celebrations varied slightly from year to year, but always involved candy and parties and dressing up in costume. There were community club parties, school carnivals, door-to-door trick-or-treating with friends and even walking the length of the Cottonwood Creek Mall in Wasilla — receiving candy from the businesses.

Over the years, I have put up with the usual jokes about being a “witch.” As an adult, someone once seriously asked me if I would consider officially changing my birthday to Oct. 30 or Nov. 1 because they thought Oct. 31 was a horrible day on which to be born.

The year I turned 40, my 19-year-old son planned a special birthday celebration at a restaurant in Wasilla for our family of four as well as my dad and mom who were in town for the birth of a grandchild. I still have the little RIP tombstone markers he used for name placards and decorations. It is the thought that counts, I told myself.

I had a hard time turning 40; my husband teases that I don’t know how to “grow old gracefully.” But a special gift that year helped to ease my distress. My brother and his wife were expecting a child. As Halloween drew nearer we speculated on the arrival date of this new addition. Sure enough, we got a call the morning I turned 40 informing us that I now had a little niece with whom to share my day. When she turned 6, we had a conversation about our ages. She announced that when she is 100 years old, I will be 140. That’ll be the day!

During our early years living in Slana, I worked as an aide at the Slana School and in 2000 they threw a surprise party for me. Everyone sang “Happy Birthday” and then we shared a cake made by one of the students. What a special feeling to have so many people singing in my honor.

The Halloween Carnival was a much-anticipated tradition at the Slana School. Even if it didn’t take place on the 31st, I felt like it was part of my birthday celebration. Each year my husband determinedly participated in the cakewalk until he won a cake for me — fresh, homemade with no baking or decorating necessary.

When I turned 50, I shared a wonderful lunch at the Homer Senior Center with my dad — in a decorated party atmosphere, of course. During our traveling “snowbird” years, I enjoyed one celebration in Missouri with friends as well as a couple with our kids and grandson in Colorado before he was old enough to understand trick-or-treating. No matter what the location, we easily found a party atmosphere on that date.

Now living back in Palmer, I hear on the radio and read in the papers about all the numerous Halloween activities in the Mat-Su. There are pumpkin carving contests, haunted houses, costume contests, harvest parties and carnivals at churches, schools, fire halls and various other community locations.

I even read with interest about a dental office in Wasilla that plans a buy-back program Nov. 1-2 for excess Halloween candy, which will then be sent to military troops.

As for my personal celebration, my husband is also willing to take me out to lunch, but he informed me that cakewalk birthday cakes are history. My choices are numerous. No matter what I decide, I need to wish my niece a happy celebration, as this year is a milestone for her. She turns 18, so I guess I know how old I will be.

Maraley McMichael is a longtime Mat-Su Valley writer and resident.