Boo Blog: 3 Halloween costumes I want to wear one day

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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When I was a kid I dressed up every year for Halloween through seventh grade. I took a break until my senior year in high school and then dressed up sporadically in college. Then in 2007, years after having children old enough to trick or treat I started dressing up again and have had a costume every year since. I love dressing up and being creative with my choices. Here are a few things on my Halloween bucket list. 

Daniel in disguise
Karate Kid

Remember when Daniel went to the Halloween dance at his new school in the Karate Kid? He dressed up like a shower curtain. Since that moment in 1984 I've always wanted to wear the same costume, making it the longest standing on my list. At one time you could even buy the kit already made. 

Epic win
Courtesy: Clint Case

The kid dressed like Luke Skywalker while riding a Tauntaun from The Empire Strikes Back, is what actually inspired this blog. This is such a neat costume and homemade. The boy's father put it together. I have great ideas and a vision of what the end product SHOULD look like, but actually executing those plans is another story. If and when I do this one, I'll have to have someone else make it for me or buy one online. 

"I got THE Rock."

Charlie Brown attempts to be like his friends in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and wear a ghost costume. Somehow, his eye holes end up all over the sheet and the lovable loser gets rock after rock during his attempt at seeking treats. This would be the easiest and cheapest costume to make. This could be the year of Charlie Brown. 

What's on your list? Do you still dress up? Time is running out to decide what to be this year. But I always wait until the last minute...

Way Back WhensDay: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Good grief, he can cook

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I blog a lot about Halloween and Christmas, but not really about Thanksgiving.  So I decided to change that with the next couple of Way Back WhensDay blogs.  The first goes back to the year I was born (1973) and the first airing of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

When I was a kid, we would always go to my grandparents' house for Thanksgiving.  Cousins, aunts, uncles, and great-grandparents would gather around large tables in the basement and share a home cooked meal.  It was tradition.  But as we all got older, and the kids went off to college, got engaged, and eventually married, tradition started changing.  Now, family members are scattered around the country, and some years we improvise the celebration.

But there has been a constant in my 40 years on this planet, and that's the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special.  I've watched the 30 minute classic every year for as long as I can remember.  As an adult, it takes me back to my childhood, being carefree and knowing that we'd have a couple of days off from school.  Back then, that was a big deal.  Everything seemed so right with the world.

Dinner is served...

I still get a kick out of how bossy Peppermint Patty is and how much of a pushover Charlie Brown is when it comes to dealing with her and Lucy.  Charlie Brown becomes the reluctant host of a Thanksgiving meal, that only a boy and his pet beagle could come up with.  If you recall, the menu for the day included toast, pretzel sticks, popcorn, and jellybeans.  The gang dines on a ping pong table with mismatched chairs.  It's not exactly what the Indians shared with the Pilgrims, but the point is that Charlie Brown opened his home and his heart to his friends when they needed somewhere to go.  Eventually, the Peanuts gang heads over to Charlie Brown's grandmother's house (or condo) for a more traditional dinner.

That leaves Snoopy and Woodstock alone and of course ready to cook their own meal.  The duo comes up with a feast worthy of the first Thanksgiving, including turkey, the trimmings, and some pumpkin pie.  So time and distance may get in the way of celebrating with everyone in the family each year, but this special cartoon is a Thanksgiving tradition in our house.  They just don't make cartoons like that anymore.

Boo: I Got a Rock

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Even at age 40, I still look forward to watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" every year on TV.   It's been a tradition in my family since I was a kid.  The Halloween special has aired each October since 1966, almost seven years before I was born (for the record).

I'm going to make the assumption that you've seen The Great Pumpkin at least once in your life, so I'm not going to go into the details of what happens in this 30 minute animated classic.  The takeaway has remained the same, if there's something you believe in, keep on believing, no matter how silly it seems to others.  At least, that's what I've always gathered from Linus and his desire to catch a glimpse of the mysterious and elusive Great Pumpkin.

I got a rock

While keeping the faith is one piece of this cartoon, it's filled with plenty of great laughs too.  I love the lovable loser, Charlie Brown in this special.  As he and the rest of the Peanuts gang prepare to go trick or treating, Charlie ends up with a sheet filled with holes.  Then while his buddies are getting popcorn balls, candy, and other sweet treats, Charlie Brown proclaims, "I got a rock."  House after house, that's all he ends up with, a collection of rocks.  

Girl vs. Dog

There's also the Halloween party where his head is used as a model for jack-o-lanterns and Lucy and Snoopy struggle over an apple during the bobbing contest.  Speaking of Snoopy, he gets into the spirit of Halloween by dressing as the World War I flying ace, the Red Baron.  It's a nice tribute to veterans.

Keeping the faith

All three story lines are woven together to make this a memorable part of my childhood and something I'm glad I've been able to share (and continue to share) with my kids.  Linus may never get to see that Great Pumpkin, but I love his optimism and spirit of the holiday.  I think the world needs more of that today.