A JOLT FROM JILL: THE MANY FACES OF JILL

by Jill Rumbley-Beam

I absolutely love fall. It’s my favorite time of year. I love it because I love Halloween. Halloween comes from an ancient Celtic harvest festival called Samhain, which was celebrated in Ireland and Scotland 2,000 years ago. It later mixed with Christian holidays, like All Saints' Day, and Irish and Scottish immigrants brought these traditions to America in the 19th century. I know some people don’t like Halloween, but I do because I love being creative and wearing different costumes.

In 1964, when I was 10, I told my mom I wanted to dress like Snow White. My mother made everything I wore in elementary school and junior high school. She made me the cutest Snow-White outfit; however, the dress was a little long. I didn't care, and I was ready to go trick-or-treating. As it got dark, it was time to head home, and my bag was already full of candy. I remember running up my driveway, tripping on my dress, and scattering all the candy across the driveway. I remember crying for hours, but my sweet brother came to the rescue and put all my candy in his bag.

Fast forward to when I started employment with the City of Dallas. I was the customer service trainer for seven years, teaching over 13,000 employees the importance of customer service; however, I was also in charge of the Mayor’s Boo Bash for twelve years. I was so excited, and I planned a Halloween festival on City Hall Plaza. I had to have a new costume every year. The first year, I decided to dress up like Marilyn Monroe, and I wore the white halter dress she wore in 1955 in “The Seven-Year Itch”. I had my own fan that blew my dress up, just like she did in the movie. One year I went as Michael Jackson, complete with hair, glove, hat, outfit, white socks, and white shoes. It was epic, in my opinion. In 2007, I decided to dress in a prison outfit and go as Lindsey Lohan. I wore prison stripes, of course, with the name “Lohan” on the back and a prison number. In 2012, Mayor Rawlins started a fitness program for all City employees. Of course, I dressed in my fitness finest, but I wore foam rubber all over my body under my outfit so I would look buff. No Halloween is complete without a disco outfit. I had this great disco outfit, complete with a wig and disco boots. That year, I played all disco music at the Mayor’s Boo Bash. Another year, I dressed as Wonder Woman. No one could believe I would wear a leotard and tights at City Hall, but I did. Taylor Swift debuted in 2007, and I thought it was only appropriate to dress as Taylor, with a blow-up guitar and blonde wig.

My mother and I loved going to Halloween parties. Her next-door neighbor gave a party every year. One year I got the idea to dress up in a lampshade from the movie, The Christmas Story. My husband even strung up the shade and placed a light inside that went on and off.

When I started working at CC Young, I told the staff I’m big on costumes when Halloween comes around. One year I dressed in a turkey outfit, and my husband was ready for the challenge of creating a turkey dinner on a piece of plywood.

According to the National Retail Federation, Spider-Man is the most popular costume for children. A witch ranks at the top too, along with Batman and Catwoman. Then there are the scary costumes, which I never cared for, is Ghostface from the movie “Scream”, complete with a mechanism you pull to make you bleed.

If you desire to dress up this year for Halloween, I hope I have given you some great ideas. Have fun! Boo!