photo by Marcus Frazier

Clarice Hudnall shows off two of the witch figurines she received for her birthday. Born Oct. 5, Hudnall has been receiving witches as birthday gifts for the past 12 years. The smaller witch on the right is the first she received while the one on the left is the most recent.

Hudnall has been avid witch collector for past 12 years

By Vershal Hogan (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Monday, October 6, 2008

NATCHEZ — When The Dart landed at Clarice Hudnall’s house, she was celebrating her birthday with family and friends. And what birthday is complete without a witch?

Every year for the past 12 years, someone has brought a witch to Hudnall’s birthday celebrations.

But these aren’t the evil old ladies from fairy tails or worshippers of Nordic gods, but rather, are what Hudnall described as “cute” witches — dolls.

“They’re funny, not scary witches,” she said.

And her collection is just that — happy ladies in pointy hats smiling or blushing from under their crooked noses, content to be what they are without turning you into a frog.

The tradition began when her daughter brought her a birthday cake topped with a witch figurine.

Through the years, the collection has grown to include novelty witches such as a spider-legged witch, a mouse witch and even a yard ornament-sized witch. This year’s witch was a Barbie-doll sized figure with Mardi Gras colored feathers in her hat and an orange feather boa around her neck.

With the growth of the collection, Hudnall has had to find different places in the house to place the witches — on the mantle, on an end table, even in the bathroom.

The collection has expanded beyond just figures, however, and now family members have given her a broom and a pointed hat.

“They always want me to wear the hat at Halloween, but I don’t want to scare the kids,” she said.

Because she has an October birthday, Hudnall said Halloween has always been her favorite holiday and that she still enjoys seeing children dress up and get candy.

Collecting the friendly, non-child eating witches is a way for her to reclaim the fun of her childhood, Hudnall said.

“When we were children in the 1950s, Halloween was a big deal and it was a fun time, not the way people think of it today,” she said. “My mother would dress up as a witch and swoop in and cackle, and it was all in good fun.”

Hudnall said sometimes her friends give her strange looks when they find out about the witch collecting.

“She’s not weird or anything,” her daughter Leigh Wolfe said.

And when October ends and the colder weather rolls in, Hudnall has another seasonal stash to take the witches place: she also collects Christmas villages.