When I went trick or treating, I would only be allowed
to go to the houses that had the porch lights on. I had
my parents or an adult walking with me. Then as I got a
bit older, I was allowed to go with out with my older
cousins but had to be home by 9:00pm.

When I was about 10 I decided that I would use a pillow case
instead of those small plastic buckets to collect my halloween
candy in. Oh boy, oh boy, I could hardly wait. This was going
to be a GREAT year for Trick or Treating!

My mother reminded me that the pillow case would become
very heavy as it got full but, I didn't care. I was going
to make out like a bandit with all the goodies I'd collect.

Arriving home I was very proud of myself and dumped my candy
out on to the kitchen table so that my mom and I could sort
through it. Anything that was unwrapped got tossed out.

It was then I discovered that my pillowcase sprung a leak
and had a hole in the bottom of it. The weight from all the
candy pushed through the hole and I left a trail of my candy
all around the neighbourhood!

My mom had tried to tell me but in all of my excitement
I wouldn't listen. The next year I went back to using
the plastic bucket to collect my candy.

Mother's really do know best.

In upstate New York, in the vicinity of Willow Lake, we always had to consider the weather. Our costume had to accommodate heavy sweaters and sometimes mittens, so there were lots of gangsters and ghosts.

Our grade school had separate (but equal!!) doors for boys and girls. I have no idea why, but they were across the schoolyard from each other. One Halloween, I was so confident of my anonymity that I went over to the boys' door and acted all casual. I was never found out. Must have been that sheet over my head.