Sentimental Sunday- Halloween in the 70's

As a child growing up in the 70's there were not many choices for Halloween costumes like there are today. Most of the costumes were handmade or thrown together creations. My worst ever costume was a sheet with holes in it, or so I thought. That was a miserable night. The sheet kept slipping and I would step on it. I was quite ready to get back home and take it off.
The year after the sheet costume I was determined that I was going to get a store bought costume. I wanted a Broom Hilda costume that I had seen at the TG&Y. To my seven year old self the plastic mask was so awesome and the little caped yellow plastic dress just had to be better than the sheet.
I begged and begged, finally my mother gave in. She thought it was ugly and just plain ridiculous to spend good money on a store bought costume, but she bought it.
Then came the big night and it happened to be one of those Halloween's here in the south where it was still warm and humid. I quickly found out that I had made a huge mistake in  choosing this costume. The elastic strap continually got caught in my hair, or it would break and I had to tie it together making the mask tighter on my head and face. It was hard to breath through and I could feel my face sweating behind the mask. Not to mention the plastic dress. Oh my! It was hotter than an oven. I was roasting inside this piece of plastic.
But under mother's watchful eye, who was just waiting for me to whine or complain so she could say, "See I was right you should listen to your Mother!" I had to pretend all was well and lovely. I was dragged all over in misery. I could hardly care about what candy was given out. I didn't even open the boxes of candy cigarette's which was a favorite of my brother and mine. I just wanted to go home and get out of this costume.
After the night was over, my costume went back into the box and up onto the top shelf of the hall closet. Last time I looked it was still there all these 38 years later. I never wore it again and I never asked for another store bought costume. I often thought my mother saved that costume as a lesson to me. I am sure she knew as mother's do that I was miserable and had totally regretted my decision. But she never said a word about it then. All these years later, I will bring it up and we will laugh about it, that ugly cheap plastic costume.
I saw it recently for sale in a vintage store online. The tag said sold and I had to laugh and wonder who else my age once thought Broom Hilda was the coolest and just had to have the costume for a Halloween memory.
Now, I think I will go watch some old Broom Hilda cartoon's on YouTube.  :)