DiscoverSD throwback: Halloween then & now

As a kid, Halloween is hands down one of the most exciting holidays on the roster. I mean, it arrives after Columbus Day and Labor Day, so the bar is pretty low at this point in the year. Love thrills and chills? Dressing up in ridiculous, over-the-top costumes? Candy? Duh, every kid does. It's a child's dream come to life for one night of ultimate, sugar-fueled fun. But as adults, the magic doesn't have to end. The costumes get more creative, the thrills even scarier and the candy can just keep on coming (you're welcome, dentists of America). This week on DiscoverSD, we spotlight some of the hottest parties around San Diego, plus take a look at the top pop-culture Halloween costumes of the year for you last-minute revelers. To celebrate, we used some of our own DiscoverSD team to shoot the cover photo this week at Buffalo Breath Costumes as we tried on some wacky, tacky and oh-so-awesome looks. To keep the laughs going, we also rounded up our favorite childhood Halloween memories and some #ThrowbackThursday pics for your enjoyment. Michelle Dederko DiscoverSD Editor Favorite Halloween costume you've ever worn? This disco girl costume (pictured) is one of my favorites. I remember being so excited to crimp my hair, spray it with a can of pink paint and wear a full-sequence costume. For the record, I would still be super stoked to do this. Turns out I've always had a thing for party dresses. Favorite childhood Halloween memory? Throwing a Halloween party when I was 10-years-old, complete with apple bobbing, a costume contest and impressing my ninja-dressed crush with a Monster Mash playlist. Favorite thing about Halloween now as an adult? I love walking around downtown on Halloween and seeing all of the creative, crazy costumes. I'm always amazed at how imaginative people can get. If you could only be one for Halloween: Spooky, sexy or silly? Silly. Unless it's a year I need multiple costumes, and then I plan for all three. Liz Bowen DiscoverSD Writer Favorite Halloween costume you've ever worn? It's a hard choice, but I was definitely most proud of my dead bride costume. My sister helped me put on dark makeup and we picked roses from our garden about a month before to let them die for my bouquet. I wore a black veil, lace-y black gloves and a white dress. It was ridiculous on an eight-year-old. Favorite childhood Halloween memory? My favorite memory would probably be the time my big sister and her friends took me and my friend trick-or-treating, by choice. Looking back, I don't know why she did that but we thought we were extremely cool to be out with them. We purposely went to the neighborhoods that gave out the biggest candy bars and we felt like such ballers. Favorite thing about Halloween now as an adult? Halloween as an adult is awesome because it forces everyone to get together and be weird for a night of pointless fun. If you could only be one for Halloween: Spooky, sexy or silly? I would have to choose silly out of the three. Spooky is too much for me and sexy is great... but silly is just classic. It's always the funny costumes that I remember the most, whether it's mine or someone else's. Amber Mesker DiscoverSD Writer Favorite Halloween costume you've ever worn? My favorite Halloween costume ever was probably the time I was Joe Dirt. I had this disgusting mullet wig, huge blonde mustache and flannel shirt. The whole night I hit on girls and acted like complete white trash. It was great, until my mustache fell off and I lost my wig. Favorite childhood Halloween memory? My favorite childhood Halloween memory is one that I don't necessarily remember that well, but the pics are great. My parents dressed me up as a nurse. I had a nurse cape, hat and surgical mask. They said I lasted about 10 minutes and then I was eating the mask, clawing for the cape to come off and acting like a drunk toddler. Not much has changed, except the nurse outfit I wear now is a bit skimpier. Favorite thing about Halloween now as an adult? The drinks are stronger and the curfew is later. But the shame spiral the next day is way worse as an adult. If you could only be one for Halloween: Spooky, sexy or silly? Although my outfit this year is sexy, I normally go for silly. It's always a better time and you stand out from everyone else. Leslie Hackett DiscoverSD Product Manager Favorite Halloween costume you've ever worn? One year I was Waldo. It was by no means the most flattering costume I ever wore, but I made it my mission to spot people taking pictures and photobomb them. This was before the days of cellphones, so it was my hopes that the next day when they were looking more closely at their pictures, "Where's Waldo?" gave them a good laugh. Favorite childhood Halloween memory? My favorite childhood memory was when my mom dressed me in a homemade gypsy costume. I fit into two scarves sewn into a skirt, which I'm totally envious of today. I think that was the first time my mom had put on makeup, and even though she was trying to put lipstick on me, I would not stop eating the Smarties candies she had bribed me with to keep me still. Favorite thing about Halloween now as an adult? I think my favorite part of the holiday has always been checking out people's costumes. I love to see how creative people can be, but that also means I've seen my fair share of costumes I can't unsee. If you could only be one for Halloween: Spooky, sexy or silly? Silly costumes are the best (see mention above about unflattering Waldo costume). Halloween is the perfect holiday to get out and be goofy. As an adult, it's even more important to remember to act like a kid every once in a while, and Halloween is the perfect outlet for that. Source: DiscoverSD