Is it a celebration in your corner of the world?
I grew up with Halloween being just about the only time of year we got candy or chocolate bars; they were not regular treats in our house. I wasn't a candy eater so I think it was more the thrill of the surprise that made me love the door to door part of Halloween, the trick or treating. ( Not unlike my thrift shopping these days.)
We would be sure to draw and colour pumpkins and Mom would let me stick them on the windows in the days leading up to October 31. That was the extent of the house decorations and my, how that has changed. Here now it is just as elaborate as the for Christmas show.
I do remember the first time in school we got to colour this classic image of the witch all in black flying past a huge yellow harvest moon. Something about it intrigued me then, the clouds, the night sky, the very idea of witches. I can't say exactly what.
Costumes were not that big, but the face mask was. Those were those awful rubber ones with inadequate holes for breathing and after only a couple of houses, your face would drip with sweat, but there was absolutely no complaining.
There was also no such thing as parents accompanying us from house to house. I would join a couple of my friends and off we'd go. I marvel now that Mom would let me do that but it was really and truly a different time, a time when the world seemed a much safer place for children. Imagined or real.
Someone always knew which houses gave the best treats and no matter how far away, we'd be sure to go there. We didn't use flash lights; stumbling around in the dark added to the general excitement. And I think it was thrilling anyway for just us kids to be out after dark something I never did otherwise.
Back home, so tired but eager to dump out the loot and have a look at what we'd collected. Lots of apples, candy, the 2 for a penny kind but in Halloween wrappers and always a couple bags of chips which were my favourite.
What a night, what memories.
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