I've been reading some of your Halloween stories and blogs, and it kind of made me go down memory lane.  I decided I should share one of mine with you as just about everyone finds it amusing at least a little.

When I was about, oh I'd say 11 or 12 years old, my family had been attending a somewhat strick church, and I wasn't allowed to go trick or treating; but I was allowed to attend a Harvest Party that they hosted every year.  

These harvest parties were pretty much a substitution for Halloween and Tick or Treating.  They were complete with bobbing for apples, games, movies, and best, original, etc of costume contests.

Well, this year I wanted to win.  For the life of me I could not decide on something I figured to be funny, original, and a complete win of a costume.  My sister dressed as Indian and my mom had made me a similar costume by cutting fringe in old white clothes and dying them with tea bags and water.  Another thing I should add to this story; making our costumes was part of our holiday fun.  We always made our costumes.

I explained to my mother that if I went as an Indian, then my sister and I cancelled out our chances to win.  Also, I knew that one of the other children attending was going as Raggedy Ann and Andy with her brother... a duel kill if I couldn't find something epic!

So we started brainstorming... 

My mother suggested the best most "awesomest" costume ever.  We were digging in our play clothes and found a really old, poofy brown dress.  My mom starts cracking up and says something along the lines of "What if you went as Aunt Jemima?!"

 Fantastic!!  I'll go as Aunt Jemima!  - Exact thought process.

We found a white bandana thing for my head, poofed out my body to make me bigger or 'chubby' and my mom painted my face, hands, and neck with some makeup to make me look black.  That's right, I'm white and she painted my skin to make me look black.  

I go to church thinking I have this contest in the bag!  When we get inside, and after about an hour of bobbing for apples and playing some sort of religious 100 Q/A game, my mother was pulled aside and spoken to about my costume.  

Now, my mom is about the sweetest lady in the world and she truely has a heart of gold.  I know she hadn't thought that it might make people unconfortable that a little white girl was dressing up like a black legend of cooking and world renouned recipes and products.  They asked her to have me wash my face.  Whe my mother was trying to explain it to me why my costume was a bust to them, I remember thinking that if I'm not uncomfortable, then why should they be?  Even the black members of our church thought it was a great costume.  one of my mothers bests friends to this day is a crazy-in-a-good-way black lady named Ineze; I don't think I ever saw her laugh so hard!

Now, this blog isn't about race, racism, or anything of that nature.  Just a funny costume and some funny and ironic Halloween story to go along with it.  I still to this day know I should have won the prizes and title of best and most original costume.  I know that the majority there at the party that felt was uncomfortable was only because they didn't want me to offend anyone there... but I hadn't and to this day me and the family get a crack at the balls and creativity I had even when I was a little kid.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween.  We only got two Tick or Treaters so I was kind of bummed, but glad to look back and see how fun it was.