Halloween was always magical in our house — handmade costumes, warm traditions, and three generations of women stitching joy into every thread. But this year, just hours before my daughter’s big moment, everything fell apart in a way I never saw coming. Ever since I was a little girl, Halloween didn’t just mean candy or spooky decorations — it meant the hum of my mom’s sewing machine as she created my costume.
I kept this tradition going with my daughter until my mother-in-law tried to ruin it. Since childhood, Halloween has always been special in our family. It came with the scent of cinnamon and thread, and the magic of seeing fabric turned into fairy wings or wizard robes.
Every October, our living room turned into a sparkling, colorful mess of tulle, sequins, and paper patterns. My mom believed that costumes should be made with love, not bought off a rack. And when she sewed all of my costumes for the holiday by hand, it wasn’t just about the costume — it was about joy.
When I had my daughter, Maeve, my mom didn’t miss a beat. She picked up right where she left off, making a bumblebee suit for her granddaughter’s first Halloween, a pirate outfit the year after, and last year’s iconic pumpkin tutu that everyone at preschool raved about. Each stitch was woven with love and care.
I’m 35 now; Maeve is six. She is curly-haired, sharp-witted, giggles, has endless imagination, and is absolutely obsessed with “Frozen.” She’s inherited my mom’s excitement for Halloween, counting down the days as soon as September ends. “This year,” she said one night in early September, eyes wide with excitement, “I wanna be Elsa.
And you can be Anna, Mommy!”
How could I say no to that? But this year was different. Her grandma wasn’t here anymore.
When she passed away last spring, it almost broke me. We lost her in the spring. A sudden heart attack took her while she was planting tulip bulbs outside the house.
She’d just turned 62. One day, she was humming in the garden with a mug of herbal tea, and the next, she was gone. That October, our house felt empty and still.
But the silence made one thing clear — it was my turn to keep the tradition going. So after Maeve went to bed each night, I pulled out Mom’s old Singer sewing machine. I dusted off the rusted bobbin cover and ran my fingers over the worn stitch settings.
Her notes were still scribbled on the lid in faded Sharpie: “For sleeves, 3.5 tension.” “Zigzag hem = magic!”
I sewed through my pain and sewed through memories. I hand-cut silver snowflakes and sewed them one by one onto the hem of Maeve’s soft blue satin gown. The cape glowed with shimmering netting, and I even found tiny pearl beads to line the collar, just like Elsa’s dress from the movie.
Every stitch kept Mom close to me. For myself, I pieced together a warm Anna outfit from leftover fabric, complete with a burgundy cape and an embroidered bodice. I stayed up too late too often, but every stitch kept Mom close to me — like she was sitting right beside me with her pincushion bracelet and half-glasses, whispering, “Make it special, sweetheart.”
We decided to host a small party this year — just a handful of Maeve’s classmates, their parents, and our family.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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