| Halloween brings vivid memories to my mind. When I | | | | candy we collected for ourselves in brown paper |
| was a little girl it was children of about 6 years to 14 | | | | bags. |
| who trick-or-treated, and the little ones were kept at | | | | We went out in small packs of children. It was always |
| home. We would look forward to our costumes for | | | | completely dark out. It was safe then and our parents |
| weeks and usually made them ourselves. Ghosts | | | | didn't worry sending us out alone. We'd have felt |
| were the most popular and plenty of good sheets | | | | mortified to have our parents go with us. The other |
| were cut before mom found out. In those days no one | | | | kids might think we were babies! Besides, parents walk |
| had store-bought costumes. One year I was a | | | | too slowly! They'd cramp our style! We wanted more |
| princess. A pretty white cocktail dress with a gauzy | | | | candy so we wanted to run between doors and as |
| top was pinned in the back to fit me, and the skirt that | | | | quickly down the streets as possible! |
| would have been just below the knee for a lady, | | | | I remember when we'd get to a corner, we'd look |
| came to the ankles on me. I thought there was none | | | | down the other streets and decide which one had the |
| better. I remember the year my friend was a robot | | | | most porch lights on. Porch lights meant they were |
| and we used poster paint to cover a large cardboard | | | | offering candy. We'd bang on a door and yell, "Trick or |
| box and cut holes for the arms and head, and holes in | | | | Tree-eat!" and if we were feeling particularly saucy, |
| a brown paper bag for the robot head. | | | | "Trick or Tree-eat, smell my fee-eet, give me |
| The afternoon of Halloween we'd spend an hour | | | | something sweet to ee-eat!" Nothing bashful about us. |
| carving pumpkins, put candles in, light them and set | | | | This was pure candy greed and we weren't the least |
| them on the steps to our house to welcome | | | | ashamed of it. And yet, I don't think any of us dreamed |
| trick-or-treaters. In those days we collected for Unicef | | | | taking more than one piece per house or forgetting to |
| on Halloween night and we never went out without the | | | | say thank you. |
| orange box to collect coins for hungry children. The | | | | |