As a kid, I loved Halloween. The dressing up, the candy, the scary games, the frivolity of it all. As childhood segued into teen years, it took on a different meaning. Sure, it was still about costumes and candy, but now factor in haunted houses, boys, parties and making out.
Halloween as an adult doesn't really register on my radar scope. I don't enjoy putting on a costume any longer. I certainly don't need the wasted calories of cheap candy. And the parties just don't seem the fun that they once were.
Which is why it is good that I am not flying on Halloween.
Although we still must report to work professionally dressed and in full uniform, once onboard the plane we are allowed a little leeway in self-expression: we can have a little fun with a Halloween costume. For obvious reasons, we are not permitted to wear masks, anything frightening, anything political, or anything slutty. Since that eliminates all the really fun things about dressing up, I never really got into the costumes at work thing.
That is, until last year. And it wasn't even really a costume. It was just a pin of a large smiling jack-o-lantern. All day long passengers felt compelled to tell me that Halloween was a pagan holiday, and that they would pray for my soul. While I just put on a smile and nodded, inside I was thinking -- "it's a pumpkin, for pete's sake, not a statement of my belief system."
I was just trying to loosen up and have a little fun. But I won't ever do it again.
(In the interest of full disclosure, I also wear a heart for Valentine's Day, a shamrock for St. Patrick's Day, a flag for the Fourth of July, and a wreath at Christmas.)
11 comments:
some people have way too much time on their hands. I was on a UAL flight this morning and many of the FAs had pins or funny head pieces (devil horns, etc).
Wow, I had no idea that 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" was corrupting my soul.
You know what, FlyGirl? Dont let a few j@cka$$es ruin it for you. Sure, a few might have said that, but I'm pretty sure that there are *ample* passengers that appreciate it.
JetBlue flight crew wear holiday decorations, why cant you!?!
Proof: http://travelquality.com/flights/pictures/cabincrew/Jetblue/crew_jetblue_001.jpg
So what? A little pin won't stop you from performing required duties, so just... the hell with it, wear what you like! {Tell them that its payback for air rage ;-) }
I saw a woman dressed up like a cheerleader at a restaurant this evening. It made up for a grey dull fall day without any sun.
I made a purchase today and the cashier gave me change, $5.83. She smiled and informed me that the amount was the same as her birthday: May 1983. She wasn't in a Halloween costume, but if she was, that would have made it a most excellent evening!
Sometimes it's the little things that make the difference in the lives of customers. I always enjoy it when someone is having fun doing their job!
Chris
Random Chaos
Hey FlyGirl, I came across your blog on Battle of the Blogs and I love it! I am definitely going to add it to the blogroll on my page and will be back :)
You have fun and don´t mind what those people said. Instead, remember the happy faces you create.
In the other hand, i´m impressed how very religious the U.S. is. I tought my country was very religious, sometimes almost fanatic. Anyway, feliz fiesta chica.
Marco, el chango.
A pagan holiday? What were you flying? A trip to Salt Lake?
-Q of S
P.S. I used to always wear a bat headband when I flew on Halloween. It is a bat attached to a spring and unfortunately it was hard to work the ailse like that because the bat always hit the ceiling.
What were you working on, Queen of Sky, a CRJ or something?
*GASP* Don't tell me you had to do an ASA flight... :-(
If you were feeling snotty and superior, you could point out that it's All Hallow's Eve, and is one of the few actually Christian celebrations, unlike Christmas (formerly Saturnalia) and Easter (formerly Passover)...
Of course, you're an FA and too nice for that!
Richard: Maybe too nice to say it (or the fear of getting fired, I guess), but definitely not too nice to think it!
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