Ghosts of Halloween Past

I've always loved Halloween...getting dressed up and of course, the candy. When I was little, I had many favorite costumes and good times. We often celebrated at our church with apple bobbing, costume contests and games before we would go out and get lots of candy. Of course, Halloween has changed from when I was young. I remember we would always go out right at dusk, on October 31st, and knock on the doors that had lights on. When the door opened, we would shout "Trick or Treat," and we would go until there were hardly any lights left on (because people had run out of candy!). Nowadays, where I live, Trick or Treat is a set day, hardly ever on the actual Halloween, and a set time, normally before dark. People sit outside and pass out candy, there is no knocking on doors. It makes me sad that it has changed so much.

After I grew up and began my big kid job, Halloween was a BIG weekend at my job. The university I worked at was known for the block party at Halloween, and my job required me to be on duty pretty much all weekend during Halloween. Although it required long hours and we were often quite tired, I loved Halloween weekend because it meant good food and great staff bonding time. We weren't allowed to dress up, but at the staff meeting beforehand, we would normally dress up and have fun. I loved that Halloween took on a new meaning for me during these years and that it could still be so fun.

Some of my staff one Halloween (that is me in the middle...I was supposed to be a ninja...not sure it entirely looked like that!)

Now, I have my daughter, and I look forward to seeing how she enjoys Halloween and Trick or Treating. I hope it is as much fun for her as it has been for me through all these years.

This post was written as a part of the Halloween Party over at SITS. You should check it out!