Karen Wils photos One big baby — I used to have nice hair.

Karen Wils photos
The sweet little old lady from on the next block, Uncle Al.

ESCANABA — Getting into the Halloween scene can make a lasting memory.

Halloween, Oct. 31, can be a bit gray, cold, rainy or snowy in Upper Michigan.

The vivid autumn colors have almost given up their ghost.

The cold wind can turn the weather witchy and mean.

So having a bit of fun before we sink into November has always been a good idea.

Halloween was a pretty simple affair back when I was a kid. You couldn’t jump on the internet and find lots of costumes and pumpkin carving ideas back then. You had to use your imagination and what you had at your disposal.

Mom did not sew, and we sure did not have enough money to buy costumes for six kids.

So, into the box of cast-off clothes we’d go. Borrowed hats, uniforms, wigs, suspenders, and outerwear transformed us into policemen, hobos, grandmas and farmers.

Old bed sheets became ghosts. Some cardboard wings and Christmas tree garland made for some pretty cute little angels.

Martian and monster costumes were constructed from packaging peanuts, bubble wrap, makeup, and an old pair of boots.

The little kids were always the cutest, with fuzzy kitty or puppy ears and a tail.

But without a doubt the best thing about my early years and Halloween was the fact that the adults in my life often dressed up for Halloween too.

My mother had a wonderful sense of humor and making the family smile was high on her list of priorities. For many years she was the “Halloween Carnival chairperson” at Holy Name Grade School. Her carnival “coach” costume was awesome.

Some of her other great get-ups were the Dolly Parton costume and the time she turned religious and made a very good “Sister Luella” the teaching nun.

With a little coaxing, Dad joined in the fun too. Dad was very bald, and one year Mom found him a nice wig and dressed him up like Willie Nelson.

Back in the day when we all had young families, we’d often have a Halloween weekend family night. For several years we had it at my brother Dave’s house transforming his old fashioned, former doctor’s office basement into a spook house.

All of the adults said they’d come and bring food, but NOT dress-up. Well… surprise, surprise surprise… most of them showed up in some outlandish costume.

Halloween is fun if you make an effort. Let it rain, let it snow, let the cold winds blow. Yoopers can find a way to be silly and have fun.

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Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her folksy columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.