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"There's no question about it, Halloween is still one of my favorite holidays! More so because of the time of year - the slight chill in the wind, the sounds of crackling leaves when I walk. Something about those little things always intrigues me and puts me at peace. I think Halloween is best spent in the Northeast because there you really get to feel the extremes of the seasons.
As a kid, I was obsessed with ninjas and karate, actually anything to do with martial arts! So, I always had the old stand-by ninja outfit ironed out and ready to go. We didn't have much money, so a new costume every year wasn't really in the budget, not to mention I felt like "hey, if it's not broke don't fix it."
I do remember one year though more vividly than the rest (and, trust me, I've had my share of memorable Halloweens – from a big party in a mansion with over 2,000 guests to dressing up like a big Elmo and chaperoning my little nephew.) The one I remember most was when I was about 8. My father was really handy with a sewing machine and also was very good at working with leather. I had started really getting into Robin Hood. I thought at one point I'd be him or Peter Pan for a living … at least until I found out that you had to either steal or go to a magical land for the rest of your life! So, my dad made an outfit entirely from scratch. It had a cloak, sleeves for my sword and some sort of pouch that held my arrows (only I didn't have arrows, a sword, or a bow) so I just carried all the accesories around. Now, you have to understand that when you’re a kid, your imagination is endless. When I looked at the outfit, I saw the one and only Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. Unfortunately, no one else saw that. The costume would get a different response at every door I went up to.
It generally went something like this:
Adam: "Trick or Treat"
Stranger with candy: "Hello boys and girls! What do we have here? I see there's a race car driver, and a ghost and a......... leather man?" I don't think one person that night guessed that I was Robin Hood! I actually remember now, looking back, that I was pretty mad. How could no one see what I saw? I was thinking “my dad spent hours working on a costume for me and no one knows who I am!?” I guess I just could have put a sheet on my head, cut out some slots for eyes and been the life of the party … but my costume was the best!"
