As with most kids, I loved Halloween. It was a chance to dress up and pretend I was someone else. Below you see me in my first ever Halloween costume, dressed up as a black cat. The next year I dressed up as Batman and the year after, I really wanted to scare people, so I dressed up as a skeleton. Years later, I learned that my dad didn’t particularly agree with celebrating Halloween. He didn’t like the associations with devils and the supernatural. My mom saw it as harmless fun. As the years progressed, I continued to dress up, which has led to some fun cosplay at science fiction and steampunk conventions

I continued to dress up for Halloween through my college years. In fact, it was during my first year in graduate school that I dressed up as a Klingon and went on a date with a woman dressed as a devil. That was the first date I had with the woman I’m still with thirty-six years later. Of course, perhaps this all shows that my dad was right to be cautious of those Halloween devils after all!

Last year, to celebrate the thirty-fifth anniversary of our first Halloween date, my wife and I went to New Orleans. I had just finished a draft of my vampire novel Ordeal of the Scarlet Order, which is partly set in the Crescent City. Our oldest daughter attended Tulane University, so we had visited several times before. We visited some places on the Tulane campus and in the French Quarter. We then went out to the NASA Michoud compound which adjoins an industrial park for assorted military contractors. I needed a site for my nefarious mad scientist to genetically engineer vampire-like super soldiers. Sure enough, a short distance from NASA Michoud, we discovered a large building under construction that housed a contractor building robotic combat vehicles for the army! Needless to say, that detail went into my novel!

The highlight of our New Orleans trip was attending a Halloween party at Potions Lounge, a traditional speakeasy run by the same people who own and operate Boutique du Vampyre in the French Quarter. The photo below shows my wife and I at the party.

Since I moved to Southern New Mexico twenty-nine years ago, Halloween has taken on a new meaning with the proximity of Dia de los Muertos—the day of the dead. The holiday is celebrated around Las Cruces and Mesilla each year. We typically take a little time to remember those who have gone on before. I like to bake Pan de Muerto—the bread of the dead—and remember my mom, who bought me those first Halloween costumes and my dad who patiently allowed me to wear them, even if he didn’t care for them too much. The following is a poem I wrote about the occasion. It first appeared in Macabre Magazine in 2004.

Pan de Muerto

All Soul’s Day – The Day of the Dead –
Picnics and parties at the cemetery.
Gravestones decorated with flowers,
Pinwheels, photos, favorite toys,
Candies and pan de muerto –
The Bread of the Dead.

My daughter and I make the bread.
She beats the eggs – even in death,
There is the memory of new life.
I add the orange essence – memory
Of the orange trees Grandpa –
My dad – loved so much.

Together, my daughter and I add the
flour – grown from the soil where
Grandpa now rests. Together we
Kneed the dough – making a
Connection across time.
Grandfather to father to daughter.

We set the bread out with a photo,
Some Halloween candy, and many
Happy memories. Sleep that night is
Restless. There is a chill in the air.
Morning comes and a chunk is gone
From the Bread of the Dead.

Of course, I also see Halloween as a great excuse to read a spooky book or two. Remember, to look for books by all the contributors here at Threads that Bind. You can find my books at http://davidleesummers.com/books.html

Do you have some favorite Halloween memories? A favorite costume or life event associated with Halloween? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!