Thursday Thread: From an Epoch of Elections... to a Debauch of Dames 😂
The world is a sh*t show... What's your favorite Dionysian Halloween memory? And can there be raucous joy right now without grievous consequences?
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Hello, Lovelies, Happy Halloween. How the hell are you?
I’m snuffling by the fire tonight. My heart hurts. The bookies at Polymarket have me worried about next week. And it’s been a weird week of feeling like nothing I could ever do or say was interesting or inquisitive enough for people, which always makes the recovering Tracy Flick in me wicked sad. As a GenX-oldest-daughter-srtaight-A-perfectionist, I’ve spent YEARS playing “Tracy” and I am ready to f*ck right off with that whole role, to be honest. Do not pick Flick, my loves! She needs a nap.
I’d just made it to my gate today where a group of ten people dressed in neon yellow Minion costumes was posing for a photo. The sight was strangely dear in these dystopian times. It made me think of my favorite Halloween in Santa Monica with my daughters where all the Franklin parents dressed up in crazy costumes, we cooked together, decorated, and the whole neighborhood celebrated. My daughters went as mythical goddesses. I went as catwoman. (Completely over-the-top kookadoo.) The best bit was that my girls, one of whom is neurodiverse, were so part of a community that fully embraced them—moms above like Helene, Kate, Diana, Kirsten, and Susan—who all made an effort to “get” autism back when we all knew so little about what was happening. It totally changed the complexion of the holiday for us.
But what about you? What is your favorite Halloween memory? Maybe you have a costume, a blooper, or a raucous adventure to recount?
Don’t be timid… Yours in Kleenex - xoxo - gotham girl
PS - I am a human typo. Amnesty appreciated.
We have the same question this week. Haha. Here’s my answer. https://open.substack.com/pub/csteefel/p/whats-your-favorite-halloween-memory?r=g4otx&utm_medium=ios
These are indeed stressful times, but your Stack always makes me smile. Thank you for sharing your spirit and humor with us. My most searing Halloween memory is from the mid-70s. The musical Annie had just debuted and though I had yet to see it, I had the soundtrack on vinyl because my mom was a Broadway theater nut. I played that record non-stop and decided I wanted to be Annie for Halloween in 1977. My mom outfitted me in a little red dress and a wig, and I carried around a little pillow-type toy in the shape of a dog. At every door, neighbors stared at me in confusion and said, "Who are you supposed to be? Shirley Temple?" I remember feeling pretty crushed, but that's what I get for being an early adopter. At the end of the night, as I marveled at my good candy haul, I played the record yet again and was reminded that the "Sun will come out tomorrow." Fingers crossed it comes out on Tuesday!