I have always loved Halloween, as a child and today.

My Mom is very much a “crunchy”, tree-hugger-bakes-with-wheat-germ kind of person, and always has been. So, when I was a kid, Halloween always meant a free-for-all of otherwise forbidden national brand chocolate candies wrapped in plastic, emblazoned with their signature brand names and colors.

But, Halloween also meant traditions. We carved the pumpkins after scooping out the guts with our hands. Mom roasted the pumpkin seeds in the oven. Oh, they were yummy! Drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. Plus, Halloween was the gateway holiday to the rest of the yearly banner ones, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Halloween was the first of the yearly trifecta.

I remember vividly posing for the camera when I was 7, wearing a store-bought, polyester (flame retardant!) costume with the accompanying smiling plastic mask which hid the real smile on my face. I was Lucy (of Peanuts fame) and the first of my four sisters, Cristi, was Linus.

My parents added to our family at a rate of one sibling every 5 years (until the 5th one, who came just a mere 13 months after the 4th). And since I was the oldest, and due to my parent’s time and finances (or lack thereof), I became the Make Up Artist and Costume Designer.

Halloween would roll around and my questionable skills would be called into service. I made one sister into Holly Hobby, that next one into a witch. I painted blood onto faces, applied lipstick and did hair. And loved every minute of it.

We sisters would canvas the neighborhood together and heeded the Halloween etiquette - if the porch lights were on, that meant we could go and knock on the door and herald “trick or treat!!!” If the porch lights were off, that meant that the residents were not offering any goodies.

Later in my teen years , I still escorted my younger sisters through the neighborhood. I stood on the street and encouraged them to go up the walkway and beg for candy. I was never part of a gang that toilet-papered houses or threw eggs. (Mind you, I was not a model child - I did rebel later. But I always believed in and upheld the sanctity of a child’s Halloween.)

When I bought my first home when I was 22 (the one that I still live in 17 years later), I was so excited when the first Halloween rolled around a few months later. I bought the pumpkin. I carved it and lit a candle in it. I roasted pumpkin seeds. I had a huge bowl of chocolate ready for trick-or-treaters. I sat outside expectantly.

And no one came.

My neighborhood is not filled with children. It is a townhome community. The few children who do live here, their parents wisely drive them to another neighborhood to collect their booty of sweets.

After I had Tay, I did the same. I would take my daughter trick or treating in one or both of her grandparent’s neighborhoods. I also took advantage of the local Mall’s Halloween festivities. Every store in the Town Center Mall would have someone at each store-front, offering candy for the children and promotional coupons for the adults.

I did take great pride in Taylor’s costumes. She has been in costume for every Halloween since her first one 12 days after she was born. She was a Pea-In-The-Pod that first year...later she was Annie, a Kitten, Jane from Tarzan, a Fairy complete with BIG wings and elfin ears (oh, how she hated the gluing on of those ears!), a witch, Hermione from Harry Potter. I spent hours - delighting in creating and planning for her costume each and every year.

Now that she is 15, I don’t get to dress her up anymore. And Taylor tends to go to her Dad’s house, which is located in more of a traditional neighborhood, so she can see her little sister (from her Dad’s side) get dressed up and go out Trick-Or-Treating.

I still don’t get trick or treaters at my door. And I have stopped expecting to and buying the candy (which I would subsequently eat.)

But,the magic and the promise of this holiday continues to thrill me. Thanksgiving, Christmas and cooler weather are just around the corner.

I now satisfy my creativity by dressing up my Chihuahua. (ha, ha - and see the picture at the beginning of this post)

What are your Halloween memories? Do you encourage Trick-Or-Treaters or shun them? Do you unleash your inner spirit and dress up? Do tell.

And - Happy Halloween!