It's that time of year.  Days are getting shorter and cooler.  Trees in Oakville are changing colour.  Halloween must be right around the corner.   October 31 is always a fun time for both children and adults.

Invitations get sent for costume parties.  The stores are full of assorted candy and chocolate bars.  Have you noticed that chocolate bars seem to shrink in size every year?  Full size became fun size.  Pretty soon they will be called trial size. 

 Department stores are crowded with halloween costumes fighting for space next to the Christmas decorations which  mysteriously make it to the floor earlier and earlier every year, it seems.  

This year Halloween falls on a Saturday.  Parents everywhere are happy as they don't have to get the kids off to school the next day.  Teachers are happy as they won't have kids coming to school with sugar highs and backpacks full of treats the day after.  By the time Monday rolls around some children will have polished off the whole lot.

 When I was young my mother made my siblings and I dump our loot bags and she would collect all the apples, caramels, suckers, and candy kisses.  Those would be shared treats when everything else had been devoured. 

 As my kids grew up Halloween was always a stressful event in our home.  Trying to get 4 kids ready and out the door was no mean feat.  I am a creatively challenged person.  I don't sew.   Most years my kid's costumes were lacklustre at best.  Also, my husband always seemed to have a video camera stuck in my face during the stressful getting dressed up to go out  stage.  I will have to go find those tapes and watch them.  I know they weren't my finest moments. 

Supper would be a scramble.  It seemed like the neighbourhood kids would be banging on the door before it even got dark.  Get the pumpkin lit and put outside.  Get the treats put in a bowl by the front door.  Decide who was taking the kids and who was dishing out the goodies. Console the baby who was screaming at her brother's monster makeup.  Put that @#$% video camera down and HELP me.

It is usually cold or rainy in Oakville on Halloween.  The kids don't want to wear coats over their costumes. Some parents would stand on the sidewalk and wave as their little ones would come to the door. Some parents would come to the door and take a peek inside at my upside down house. Now that was a real treat.

My kids  would take pillow cases to fill with their treats. Then there was the UNICEF boxes.  Shoot, I had to scramble to find some change to put by the front door.  Sometimes the kids  would be back to dump their full pillow case and head back out. As my kids got older they would want to go trick or treating with their friends and not have mom or dad tag along any more.

When everyone was finally finished they would scatter their goodies on the family room floor.  I would search for anything that looked tampered with our sketchy.  The doorbell would continue to ring after 8:00 p.m. but the costumed ones were much older at that time of night.  In fact I could swear some of them were back for seconds.  Sometimes we would run out of goodies by that tiime and I'd have to turn off the porch light and blow out the pumpkin candles. Sometimes there would be lots left over and  temptation would set in.

I had my favourites.  Kit Kat and Coffee Crisp.  I know I shouldn't have indulged but they ARE only trial size now right?  My kids are grown now  too old to go trick or treating.  Now there are parties with their friends.  My Halloweens are relatively calm.  The only excitement is my dog Lola barking at the goblins and gremlins running through the streets. I must get those old videos out.  Pass the Kit Kat.

A happy and safe Halloween to all.